As we all know a tsunami has hit southeast Asia, eastern Africa, the west coast of India, Sri Lanka, and many other countries. Some friends of mine and I have donated money to different causes (doctorswithoutborders.com and the International Red Cross). This has spurned debate about donating/giving and when, why, how, how much, personal circumstances. What's great about my group of friends is that we all have a different answer, but we listen to one another. Two of us donated not small sums, a few others gave what they could. The amount doesn't matter, but our conversations surrounding this is interesting. There is concern about social security, supporting closer to home (family/friends), the timing (are we giving now when there is a "sudden" disaster, what about the rest of the time when there is "just" malnutrition?), and the seeming general american apathy towards the global situation.
Having spent four months in a very third world country this year, I know that on a day to day basis we frivously spend money. I went to lunch today and it cost me $8. For $8 I could eat for at least a week in Nepal. And yet I thought nothing of the money that I had just spent. Surprising how quickly you get back into the old way of doing things. I wear my sandals from on a daily basis, not just because they are comfortable, but as a reminder of where I was, what I saw and experienced. I plan on wearing them until a Nepali person would throw them away.