We are a generous nation. Our response and commitment to the quake victims in Haiti was both swift and substantial and it can be measured in dollars, food aide, volunteers... and by the number of American reporters that showed up in the first hours after the quake in Port-au-Prince. Unfortunately, Americans have a tendency towards the tabloid (ex. Tiger) and sensational (ex. Jersey Shore) and exhibit the attention span of gnats. Add in the distractions abroad (Iraq, Afghanistan) and the problems at home (health care, economy) and it is easy to ask the question: When the last news anchor has left the Haitian shores, will we still remember?
We need not look far into the past (2004 SE Asia tsunami) to also appreciate that what happened in the first couple weeks of the disaster in Haiti, rescuing people from pancaked buildings, providing temporary shelter, and providing medical attention to the injured, was the easy part. The decade it will take to rebuild the Haitian capital and the nation's infrastructure is the hard part. Will Americans still show concern and lend a charitable hand 10 years from now? I would think that if we can stomach and rationalize waging a decade of war against people halfway across the globe, we should have no problem committing resources and lifting a neighbor at our doorstep out of the ashes of a natural disaster. Plus, we should all ask ourselves the question: What are the rational and moral implications of rescuing someone from death only to let him starve and wallow in misery for the rest of his existence?
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