Where My Imagination Feels Small

There are many instances presented to my life lately where I consider my rather creative and skillful imagination limited. The one thing similar in all these instances are the high stakes and heightened reality. Most of us are lucky and sheltered and will unlikely ever experience such situations; the end of a relationship, financial struggles, stress at work, an argument with a friend are all difficult, but still a fraction of intensity from these situations which I hope never to be a part of.

The recent earthquake and tsunami combines the worst possible scenarios - loss of loved ones, one’s home and possessions after surviving a catastrophic disaster while battling the cold weather, thirsty and hungry, and vulnerable to the possible effects of harmful radiation is unimaginable to me.

I actually watched the movie “Aftershock” right before it happened and it has helped in bringing me emotionally closer to understanding what those victims went through. I recently saw “127 Hours” too, about a man though accidentally trapped in a canyon, managed to overcome all the obstacles he faced through sheer determination and strength. There is something to be learnt from these survivors. These lessons will hopefully never be presented to us. And we shouldn’t need for them to to learn how to tackle life with such steely grit.

There are many unsung survivors out there - people battling illness, waiting to receive an organ, the list goes on. When you recognize them, please show them as much compassion and generosity as you can because unless you’ve experienced it yourself, you won’t know what exactly they must be going through.