Almost three months ago, on August 14, Haiti was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake . More than 2,200 people died from the quake itself, more than 12,000 were injured, and 65 medical facilities were damaged or destroyed, according to official UN figures. Two days later, Tropical Storm Grace brought heavy rainfall to the devastated island.
Haiti, the poorest country in Latin and Central America and one of the poorest in the world, has been left to its own devices. The world quickly moved on to more "important" crises for the West, such as wildfires and flash floods that left almost no one dead and mostly property damaged.
Meanwhile, the situation in Haiti is still precarious and deplorable. The country has no funds to recover. Today it is a testament to the apathy of humanity. The problem is that no one cares.
News channels may report on natural disasters, hurricanes or wildfires that occur within Europe or the United States. But the coverage of relief efforts, the sympathy of the whole world, the fate of the victims of distant catastrophes go far beyond the ordinary interest of the West. There is simply no interest in the lives of people of other cultures.
These disasters are a wake-up call. They are here to awaken our sympathy. And we do not hear the call. The more we ignore our fellow humans suffering from natural and, even worse, man-made disasters, the more serious these events will become until people learn.
Whether we feel it or not, whether we like it or not, humanity is a single organism. We are all interconnected . When someone is indifferent, cold or even cruel towards one part of humanity, everyone suffers, including the powers that be. In today's world, there is no escape from interconnectedness.
Our apathy is reminiscent of an allegory that is described by the sages : “Suppose that someone cuts meat and the knife falls on his hand; would he think of avenging his own hand and cutting his other hand for cutting the first?... The rule is that a person does not take revenge on his neighbor, because it is as if he were taking revenge on his own body.
In the end, people will have to become attentive and caring to each other. Because everyone depends on each other and nothing can be done about it.
Just as the pandemic has taught us that if an infection starts in one place, it spreads everywhere, so it is with all our sorrows and joys. The sooner we realize this and act accordingly, the sooner we will reverse the negative trajectory of humanity. The longer we delay, the worse will be the blows of fate until understanding comes.
What is happening to humanity? Why did they create the UN, the Red Cross? Moreover, it was a small island and it was possible to help it with the whole world! But one should not be surprised: in Russia, parents of sick children ask for a penny through TV channels to invest in medicines or operations in order to save these children - and this is in the richest huge country with its resources!