Questions

In my day-to-day living, I avoid over-exposure to the news. I find all-day news channels tend to ruminate on and sensationalize stories in order to fill up their 24 hours of coverage, and that frustrates me. As a result, I found out about the recent earthquake in Haiti via facebook status updates. I logged in to see if any of my friends were around for a chat, and discovered that one of the poorest countries in the world had been further devastated.

The few images from Haiti that I've seen remind me of the brevity of life, the fragility of our planet, the imbalance of power and wealth across our globe, and the insignificance of my own existance. All over the world there are people involved in a real struggle for survival while my husband and I contemplate the pros and cons of epidurals in childbirth from the safety and comfort of our lovely home.

The following questions were heard in our villa in the past few hours: "Do you want to see a movie this weekend? Why don't we order pizza for dinner tonight? I'm a little tired; do you mind going to the event at our friends' place alone this evening? What time should I call the driver to come and pick us up? Shall we watch an episode of our show or play a game until you have to head out?" I'm trying to imagine someone whose loved ones were just killed, whose home was just destroyed, whose stomach is growling, and whose head is bleeding listening to our conversations. Would his reaction be disbelief? envy? anger? confusion?

Perhaps more importantly, what is *my* reaction?