Tsunamis and stingy Americans...

The horror of the Tsunamis seems almost biblical in its fury -- the sea rising and swallowing all. It makes ones realize how ephemeral life is , and how we are really wasting our lives sweating the small stuff.

On another note, I have been watching the coverage of the Tsunamis on the mainstream Television here , and it makes me cringe. I have always known that the US is a very self-involved society, but watching Tucker Carslon (yes, Jon Stewart was right - he is a dick) say "I hope you enjoyed the show" after having just seen ghastly images of lives, homes being ravaged was a bit much. Carlson was flippant through out the show, as if it were his usual crossfire type debate. NBC nightly news devoted all of 3 minutes to this "story" and CNBC had a 1 minute coverage of the story followed by a 3 minute debate on the UN spokesperson's comments about the rich countries being stingy with aid. All the 3 pundits who were on that program agreed that the remarks were outrageous, and that the US is very generous. Are you kidding me? Initially, the US had announced 15 million dollars in aid -- one town house in the neighborhood that I live in costs on average several million dollars. Other countries, like Germany and Japan have been even more stingy , and in comparison that makes the US look good - but 15 - now 30 million dollars is really pocket change for a disaster of this magnitude!

"Well, I felt like the person who made that statement was very misguided and ill-informed," Bush said from his Texas ranch. "We're a very generous, kindhearted nation, and, you know, what you're beginning to see is a typical response from America."

Asia tsunami relife - world vision

Sri lanka disaster relief fund

And there is Red Cross....

Crossings

The state of flux , in between is a constant state, once you are out of your comfort zone, you have two choices -- to return or stay out and decide where one will go in the new state. The new state provides its share of ups & down -- but it is a path chosen, not a path dictated.

She looks up at the shimmering Chicago skyline
The freezing wind rushes past her face
a girl in the city, a city in the girl
she pulls down her cap, and quickens her pace

It is early evening, and already in the dark
She surveys her kingdom, ancient and new
It is the path that I have chosen, she says
but those thoughts are fleeting and few

Ten o’ clock meetings, nine’o clock parties
She rarely misses the intolerable heaviness of the monsoon heat
Then there is Shakrukh, Rani and the Messrs Karan and Yash
Immigrant angst – ha - nothing that some song and dance couldn’t beat

Between here and now, then and there
Traversing brave new worlds and imaginary homelands
Continents, oceans, and the taste of the tongue
Seamlessly, yet in flux, she knows where she stands

The air is thick with the spirit and the spoils of Christmas
People talk, their breath spiralling into the wintry night
She waves, smiles at her friend across the street
and as she walks, she catches the debris of falling light.

In hiatus

So I guess, I am taking little bit of break from this. When I started blogging, I created fictional lives as a way to escape the reality of my own life. And now, as I begun to confront my own story, I feel a little confused, a little bewildered. But there is one thing that my life has in common with lives of my fictional characters - we all have no clue where we are headed, we are all inhabitants of the in-between.

For what its worth, all our stories are also inherently hopeful, which is why I call this blog rising to grace . Through all the highs and lows, confusions and conundrums, we will find grace ( which according to the dictionary is the state of being protected or sanctified by the favor of God, of being bestowed with divine love) So yes, I am a little confused but it's all good.