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Perspective

This column was published after the devastating 2004 tsunami that struck Indonesia. After the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan I revisited it. My heart is aching for all those who are suffering, for those who have been lost and for those left behind.


More laundry? Man, I spend my entire life doing laundry and dishes for this family. Grrrr…I have so much to do.

“…The Red Cross estimates that although the number of dead is now over eighty thousand, the number will be well over a hundred thousand as more victims are found washed up on the shores or under the rubble…”

I hate this bed of ours. I wake up every morning with a backache. I just hate it.

“…Thousands have lost every material possession they owned when the tsunami struck and are sleeping in the streets or in shelters…”

Man, someone dinged my car in the parking lot? I can’t believe people don’t care about things like that, they just open their doors and WHAM! Uncaring jerks.

“…My neighbors lost their entire house when the wave hit, but my house is still there. They came over to help us go through the rubble and to keep it from being looted…”

The birthday party for ten six year olds was brutal! You should have seen those kids! Ice cream and cake everywhere!

“…It is estimated that the majority of the dead are children, who were most vulnerable to this disaster as they could not run as fast as the adults or were ripped from their parent’s arms as the wall of water struck..”

Clean your room! What is with teenage boys that they can’t pick up their clothes and their rooms just stink to high heaven. Open a window for crying out loud.

“…the stench from the decaying bodies is overwhelming. Everywhere you look, there are bodies lining the roads and in makeshift morgues..”

Did you see that jerk cut me off? Geez, learn to drive you moron! I hate driving in all this traffic with idiots that don’t know how to use a turn signal.

“…cars and buses were picked up by the force of the water and you can see some cars in trees, others are buried in mud. The roads are completely impassable…”

Mom, I hate meatloaf! I’m not eating this!

“..Relief agencies are pleading for donations of money so that food and water can be brought into the hardest hit areas..”

Why do we have to go over to your brother’s house for dinner? You know I hate family gatherings.

“…Generations of families are gone in this terrible natural disaster. Some people have lost their entire family and they alone are left.”

Dang this cold. I feel like crap. My nose won’t stop running.

“…Dengue fever, dysentery and cholera will more than likely kill thousands of people who have survived the tsunami, and most of them will be children and the elderly..”

I hate my job.

“Thousands upon thousands have lost their livelihoods as hotels, restaurants and other businesses were completely demolished..”

It takes forever for this water to get hot in the kitchen; I hate waiting for it to come out.

“There is no drinkable water anywhere in the region. It’s all been contaminated by debris and sewage.”


I complained I had no shoes till I saw a man that had no feet. - Author Unknown

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