Have courage - do it now

Category: Editorial

It has been a bad week for America's public image. There has been much criticism of the support provided to victims of hurricane Katrina at state and federal level, with particular reference to New Orleans. This has over-shadowed the wonderful work being done locally by volunteers and charities, both in raising money and donating goods, and in offering time and accommodation to the refugees. Once again, I point you to David Frey's blog as just one example of what is happening. In the past the Internet has been a means of transmitting local news around the world. This time I have been receiving reports and responses through the podcasting community and from the excellent BBC News site.

One of the things that has struck me when travelling in the USA is the high profile of The Salvation Army as a practical aid charity, and it has become my chosen charity for Christmas giving. The Salvation Army is active in providing relief for the people of the Gulf Coast. However, the leading charity seems to be The American Red Cross. I am sure that you will wish to contribute to one of these noble charities. Here are the links that you need.

We have an Irish joke: A tourist is travelling through rural Ireland and comes to a cross roads with no sign post. He stops to ask the way to his destination. The local resident scratches his head and thinks deeply. "Well" he replied "If I were you, I wouldn't start from here."

Very often we are in a similar position. We would prefer not to start from where we are now. New Orleans is such a case. If the city authorities had responded properly to the weather forecasts and hurricane warnings, people would not have been stranded in the floods. We had a similar situation in Britain some years ago with an outbreak of foot and mouth disease. As an ex-farmer who had experienced previous outbreaks, I knew how easily it spread and exactly what had to be done. But our urban government was more concerned about the lead-up to an election and resisted calls for action – the result: a national disaster and terrible suffering for animals and rural communities alike.

I am very fond of a slogan I copied down from a photographic shop in Aberystwyth:

"Lack of planning on your part will not

constitute an emergency on my part"

How many times have you had to deal with emergencies because you or others failed to act at the appropriate time, and allowed a situation to escalate? What situation in your life requires action now to prevent a much larger response later? What systems should you have in place? And how can you persuade others to have the courage to address their own situations and "Do it now"?

I wrote last week about my meeting with Shaina Noll and her healing songs. She introduced me to her brother's work and I am pleased to review one of his books below.

USEFUL LINKS:

Appeals and reports from podcasters

Shaina Noll Songs for the Inner Child