I am heartsore this week, sad about the deaths caused by the earthquake in Christchurch, aware that the weeks and months ahead will be difficult beyond belief for the people living there, regretful about the loss of the beautiful buildings.
In lieu of a Friday Feminist quote, I ask you to spend a moment thinking of the people of Christchurch. I know that most of us have had Christchurch in our minds all week, just as we have been so aware of the slow flooding disaster in Queensland and New South Wales and Victoria. Even so, take a moment.
And then, carry on. People in the eastern states of Australia, people in Christchurch need us to carry on, to keep working, to keep caring and loving, to keep on scrutinising our politicians and our officials. They are depending on us to keep the place running and to support them while they work to get their lives, their homes, their communities, back together again.
Each time I have seen photos of the toppled spire of Canterbury Cathedral this week, I have thought of a plaque I saw there many years ago, when I was still a student.
He aha te mea nui o te ao?
He tangata! He tangata! He tangata!
What is the most important thing in the world?
It is people! It is people! It is people!
1 comment:
Very well said.
Those of us lucky enough not to have been directly affected by this have had our moment of shock and grief. Not just for Christchurch, but for all the tragedies that have befallen the world lately.
Chile, Australia, Greymouth, Libya, Christchurch.
We have to carry on as best we can. As I type this, I hear on the news how the Australian police are being sent out to provide a presence in the community - to provide a sense of continuity and of normality (even though it will likely take a generation before anything is considered "normal" again).
The world carries on, and we have to help each other carry on as well. If not for ourselves, then for those who have suffered so much lately.
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