The Bully

By Devin Doherty.

From near to far, from here to there, horrid things are everywhere…

We live in troubled times, where man is a frail thing within the eyes of Mother Nature. Earth is in a time where loss of human life is usually counted not in the hundreds but in the thousands. Of all the places on this unforgiving Earth why was Haiti picked as the cesspool of destruction? Why?

On January 12^th 2010 a magnitude-7 earthquake rocked the country of Haiti. Optimistic estimates say that about 111,000 people were killed by the quake, however, the Haitian government fears this could quickly turn into 200,000 dead, the amount of Union soldiers killed in battle during the American Civil War. Although most of the people affected by the quake were Haitians, a large number of Red Cross members, UN officials, and foreigners were also killed.

In a country decimated by problems such as crime and poverty this tragedy just had to occur. The amount of life lost is staggering and the effects of the earthquake will always be felt in Haiti. Why do the biggest problems always happen to the smallest of us? It’s not fair that the weakest must be picked on the most. Earth is like a schoolyard bully, intimidating and crushing the diminutive ones amongst us. When the bully troubles us, bigger countries, we can deal with it, but this is not always so for our small cousins.

Affecting the capital city area of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, an area the size of Maryland, numerous buildings were destroyed by the earthquake, including crucial constructions like hospitals, fire departments, and police stations. Many people initially injured by the quake later die because of lack of medical care. Rescue efforts are also overwhelmed; people are still being dug out of ruins 11 days after the event. Costs of the damage could potentially run into the billions. Buildings destroyed include the Presidential Palace, home of the Haitian President. Countries like the US have promised relief aid for the struggling country, but so much damage has already been done that will never be unwrought by any amount of money or help.

People die everyday. This is a fact that we cannot doubt. Tragedy has occurred, does occur, and shall occur far into the future. We, as humans, can shoulder the burden of grief and carry on the torch until it is extinguished. Through pain, we light the way into a future with hopefully less death and mayhem. However we can only hope, for the bully continues her relentless trek through space, time, and death.

Sources:

cnn.com

www.civilwarhome.com

xinhuanet.com

bbc.com