As the devastation of Haiti unites the world, we must not forget the importance of love. For many years Haiti has been looked over. It amazes me that it takes tragedy in order for global powers to focus on the living conditions of people who live in poverty.
Now I am not trying to criticize any country, but Haiti has been needing the aid of the world for decades. I understand that many nations look down upon third-world countries like Haiti, but I thought we were all a part of the human race. There is an old saying, “Give people their flowers while they yet live.” This is said because when a person dies, they will not know how much you cared about them.
It should not have taken the death to thousands for the world to let Haiti know that we cared about this “small” country. The same is the case for New Orleans. Haiti deserves what she is receiving now, and she deserves even more in the future.
This is not a time to invest in buildings or business; now is the time to invest in the people of Haiti. Now is the time to feed them, clothe them and lift them up. Yet, my thoughts are not with just the now, but with the later. That is, when all the smoke clears, and the aid workers go home, and some of the buildings have been rebuilt, how much news will Haiti then render.
Will we only hear about Haiti when there is civil unrest or will we hear about the progression of Haiti in years to come?
What the world is doing now is great, but it is what the world does in the future that will render the most admiration. Haiti, a country that did not have much to begin with, now has nothing; yet, if measures are not taken, Haiti will go back into the injustice of poverty rather than the liberation of the true meaning of “change.” The Haitians are children of God; now it is time we treat them as such.
The devastation in Haiti was an awaking to the need of humanity to feed the sick, clothe the naked, and love each other. Haiti’s value to the world should not have just come to light, Haiti should have been just as important to the world as America and Europe.
For so much of the world is defined by wealth, and so little is defined by true humanity. As Haiti heals from this devastation, let us not forget that the great need of mankind, is not that of cars or clothes, but that of love. When we love, we never let those we love go without. So, from now on let us love Haiti, not just for these moments, but for the moments when Haiti is left to the Haitians.
