I have two things on my mind related to the earthquake in Haiti. One is helping to relieve the suffering, and the other is earthquake safety.
Like many others, Thor and I have given money for relief in Haiti. We chose Mercy Corps, who happen to be based here in Portland. But it’s their approach to service rather than their location that attracts us: they seek to turn crisis into opportunity by partnering with the survivors of disasters, often through social entrepreneurialism. We donated online here, but we also could have mailed a check to Haiti Earthquake Fund; Dept NR; PO Box 2669; Portland, OR 97208. Another way to donate would be by calling 1-888-256-1900. (Sociable me, I like the idea of being able to talk with someone while giving. They might be able to tell me a story that makes helping more vivid and real to me.)
I’ve read reports of research that people who give and also who volunteer are happier than people who don’t. My personal experience is in harmony with that, i.e. giving and volunteering makes me a happier person (though they would also be the right things to do even if they didn’t benefit me). I picked up this quote from an article in Grist, though I couldn’t place the link: “But the amount of money people spent on themselves had no appreciable effect on how happy they were.”
It’s easy to tell ourselves that disasters like the Haitians are experiencing could never happen to us. Not true. Almost all of us on the West Coast of the United States, for example, live in earthquake country, with ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ being the operative phrase concerning a major earthquake of our own. Here are seven basic steps to earthquake safety and preparedness. We could choose to turn the eventual crisis of natural disaster into opportunity for ourselves here in the first part of the year, i.e. the opportunity to become prepared for it. Action is a good way of dealing with fear.
Note: this may be my last post for several days — I’m on a happy vacation, visiting family in Southern California as well as wonderful friends I’ve had since 1971.
Related Posts:
- Seeking To Be Sustainable In An Earthquake
- Giving Feels Great: Blog Action Day
- Rebuilding On Ten Feet Under
I think it is very true that there is a link between donating / volunteering and being happier, but it may be that people who are happier are more likely to donate or volunteer as much as the other way round.
Enjoy your vacation!
Ms. Poet: Good point. A correlation is not necessarily a cause-effect relationship. Thanks for the critical thinking.