Disaster In Nepal

I'm still trying to wrap my thoughts around the magnitude of the death and destruction in the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake. 

An earthquake struck Saturday (4/25/2015) at a 7.8 magnitude. As of Monday (4/27/2015), the death toll is at 3,800 people with another 7,100 among the injured.  That's nearly 11,000 people dead or injured and there's no doubt these numbers will rise before the final count is assessed.  "At the moment, all the death count reports are coming from Kathmandu Valley. Sadly, I fear that this is only the beginning," Oxfam's Nepal Director Cecilia Keizer said in a statement.

Meanwhile there is widespread destruction of houses and other building with men, women and children numbering in the hundreds of thousands left with shelter, food, water and medicine. 

If you're looking ways to offer help to the people of Nepal, click the link to this article which provides information on how to donate to relief efforts through the International Red Cross, the American Red Cross, World Vision, UNICEF and other reputable agencies.  

It's disasters like these that really point out how fragile life can be on this planet and how very important it is to help each other. Everyday we see so much energy used up in useless battles over political and religious ideology, over arbitrary lines dividing us by race, gender and other things that get in the way of what's really important. And what's really important is that we need to make the best of this world and the brief lives we live upon it. And when this world throws at us the worst in disaster and tragedy, we can stand strong together, across lines and boundaries, and help each other. 

More so than ever, please be good to one another. And please keep the people of Nepal in your thoughts and prayers.