A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Tragedy affects everyone in different ways. I learned that lesson when my Dad died almost 8 years ago. I know that I am very much a thinking personality--thank you Meyers-Briggs--and I don't always respond to the same tragic stimuli that is often generated in the media today. They tend to go after the heartstrings with pictures of people who look rightfully bewildered and overwhelmed by sorrow in the face of great tragedy. And while I do not doubt the sincerity, those images don't help me to fully understand the scope of the event. I often need information on a broader scale in order to appreciate the personal aspect of the situation. I think back to 9/11 and the pictures and video of the attack was what makes the pictures and video of people reacting to and mourning the event much more real to me.

This morning my focus is the recent tsunami that has devastated a part of our world. I have seen the news reports and the flags at half-mast. I have seen the images of the people. But I think what gets to me is just the sheer number of people that it has affected. I saw last night that the number of people missing and assumed dead is at 142,000. That just blows me away. Those are people's sons and daughters, and husbands and wives, and friends and companions--all lost in a moment by something that nobody could have predicted with any accuracy and no one could have stopped. My friend Dale sent me an email this morning and I just wanted to share it with you.

This is a link to satellite photos that show before and after shots of the countries hit by the tsunamis. Each picture has a toggle to click on to see the before and after. The site itself gives you a little more instruction.

http://homepage.mac.com/demark/tsunami/2.html

I can't say that I hope you enjoy them, but these pictures have helped me to comprehend the scope of the tragedy and that, in turn, helps me to understand the images of those whose lives have been forever changed by it.