Relief
I gave money to Architects for Humanity. It seemed like I had to give something, although what I really wanted to do was do something. I'm feeling rather useless right now. Spending my time in a cube. The work I do isn't exactly harmful, but it's surely not helpful. Sending money to a relief effort didn't make me feel any better. Not that it was supposed to. Hopefully my money will help build a home, and then someone, somewhere, will feel Really Good. But it was frustrating to know that all this energy being put towards emergency relief is energy that is needed all the time. According to the New Yorker:
4 million have died because of the civil war in the Congo
70,000 dead because of genocide in Darfur, Sudan
"In the year just ended, scores of thousands died in wars and massacres elsewhere in Africa, in Asia, in the archipelagoes of the Pacific, and, of course in Iraq" (p. 25 17 Jan 2005)
2,000,000 died of malaria
1,500,000 died of diarrhea
5,000,000 children starved to death
3,000,000 people died of AIDS.
etc.
etc.
etc.