OK, it's a day before the third anniversary of the earthquake, and I am already getting mad. I should remind myself not to read anything, especially not comments by know-it-all Americans. (Says an American with an opinion, of course.)
Do people not realize that we haven't entirely finished rebuilding the World Trade Center? It's been over a decade. What about Katrina? And people are wondering why Haiti isn't all together. Aaaaaargh!
It's not that it's all good here. It's not that I have a rosy view of NGO's or the government. Either government, for that matter. But, people, get real! You can't tear down concrete and iron with your bare hands, and not everyone can afford to hire huge machinery.
And there IS rebuilding. There IS progress. A year ago, the Champs de Mars was wall-to-wall tents. Now it's a park again. The ruins of the palace were still there; now there is a field, making it rather hard to figure out where I am downtown. Schools are going up. Homes are going up.
Yes, there are plenty of people operating with their own agendas. Yes, I see rubble every time I go out. Yes, there is an incredible amount left to do, and the way things are being done can be frustrating at time. But please, let's be realistic here. This is not the end of the story. We haven't finished yet. The real miracle is that people continue to work together. Let's pray that this spirit continues to grow.
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Good rant, Sarah. It's easy for those outside the circle of the areas affected by disaster to criticize "slow progress"...much easier than trying to discover ways to help the recovery.
ReplyDeleteDitto to the amen. And to Grandmère Mimi's comment. When we dismiss progress or in some ways the slowness of it, it can be simply a way to avoid committing to helping. Well, I'm wasint my time, money, etc ... because progress is so slow - rather than WOW - look at what is happening and what can I do to help?
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