Ethical Dilemma Haiti Earthquake Relief Effort
Posted by
the philosophizer
Jan 14
Via the media we have all witnessed the horrendous and tragic earthquake that has recently trampled over Haiti. The damage is so extensive that it is only a matter of time before a ‘state of emergency is declared’. Countries from all over the world have pledged millions towards the relief effort and on a local level, people throughout the world are organizing funding drives and the wealthy are pledging thousands to millions of dollars. Red Cross FEMA the military and other rescue organizations are already on the scene and more are expected to arrive. Haiti has received assistance that could total billions (between the years 2007-2010); Prime Minister Obama has now pledged 100 million dollars to help them.
If I were in Haiti and/or had family and friends therein, I would pray that the world would hear our cries and come to our rescue by any means necessary. I would be thankful to all those who came to help without even knowing us. I would be thrilled to know that enough money has been received to assist us in rebuilding our land; put our lives back in order.
This has not been the case for the Haitian people and I cannot understand why. So I have to ask: What did Haiti do with all the money? Should the governments of the receiving countries be trusted with such large sums of money? Is there any accountability process in place for all funds given and received?
I believe we are all responsible for each other; we are all one body of people scattered across the globe; I believe that there is no such thing as “there is nothing that I can do for you.” If I have half a loaf of bread, it is my responsibility to feed everyone in my family first. If my neighbour then knocks on my door and tells me he’s hungry, it is my responsibility to share my slice with him. If as he leaves he passes a homeless man it is his responsibility to share his slice with him and so on.
With that being said, why are so many governments sending millions of dollars that should be used to take care of their own people FIRST? America has yet to complete the rebuilding required from Hurricane Katrina and other disasters. It has yet to clean up low-income neighbourhoods and make homelessness and poverty a thing of the past. It has yet to rescue all families that have recently lost their homes to foreclosures or that are facing foreclosures; look at what 100 million dollars could have done for Americans!
When you donate, please, use an organization that is known to be financially responsible; ensure that your money is being used for what you intended; all donors and intended recipients have a right to said process.
I will continue to pray for the people of Haiti.
Written by Antoinette Forsythe Copyright © All Rights Reserved, Image Credit: Wow – thank you! by Salvation Army USA West Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License, Hurricane Katrina by au_tiger01, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
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Tags: haiti and katrina, haiti katrina compare, haiti money, haiti vs katrina, haitian money, hurricane katrina, moral and ethical dilemmas, philosophy katrina haiti, Social Issues, take care of america before haiti, take care of family before others, take care of home before you take care of others, take care of your own before you take care of others
“But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” 1 Timothy 5:8 KJV
The homeless man sleeping under a bench in the freezing cold who has spent his day picking food from a garbage can, is his plight worse than the Haitian whose home fell to the ground? He didn’t even have a home to loose! He later freezes to death because his own country told him they didn’t have enough money to build more shelters. He may even starve to death because the food banks told him they didn’t have enough food due to a lack of donations and government funding.
“3″Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7: 3-5 NIV
How can America, Canada and others be so quick to jump in and tell Haiti and other countries what they need to do when at home, their own home needs to be put in order.
My article is not about not giving, it is about the priority in which one gives. It is not about abandoning the human race, it is about solving the problem of the human race from within our home FIRST and then branching outwards.
Agreed by no means should we ignore Haiti, this is NOT what I have said; I have on many occasions taken food from my own food basket and given to the homeless. I have sheltered many even though I could not afford it. I have also cooked food on many thanksgivings and taken it to the homeless. This is what my mother taught me and what I teach my son; we have done our part in helping the human race and will continue to do so.
No matter what scenario we come up with there is no excuse for the governments in neglecting their own to the extent that they have. If they can afford to donate so much without going broke then surely they can tend to the needs of their own as well. This is not the case. When all is said and done in Haiti, our homeless will be homeless, our children that are also being raped and sold will still be that and so on.
I still have to wonder, if its about family first……We have a responsibility to the HUMAN race, before the family race. We need to have other people outside the blood line in order to continue the blood line The isolation of the idea, family first, can be thought as…soul / sprit first, which would include all human beings, rather than blood line then the rest.
“Charity begins at home”
yes indeed, maybe governments shouldn’t be spending millions of dollars to help Haiti.
But to turn a blind eye to Haiti because “I have my own problems” doesn’t really justify that decision either.
America amongst other countries can donate millions upon billions to other countries and still be able to be full sufficient. It’s not like a superpower country will go broke is they do.
Now take for example, your walking down the street and you found out that raise you wanted, you won’t be getting, and problems with your significant other are beginning to arise. Now imagine you pass someone who was just the victim of a stabbing & robbery, and pleading for assistance, do you turn a blind eye to them and say “Sorry bud, I got my own problems” or do you help them?
I think the same principle applies to the Haiti scenario, sure we all have our own problems, doesn’t mean we turn our backs to someone when they need help.
I believe in Karma, and what goes around, comes around. So maybe one day, that person that you turned a blind eye to, will now look at you and say “sorry id love to help, but I got my own problems. Now doesn’t that ring a bell?”
thinking man, there are many who are quite comfortable with taking care of others before taking care of their own flesh and blood, we call them “Dead beat dads and dead beat moms.”