A few years back, I remember a story about a dog getting stranded on a houseboat I think during a flood. People had died, homes and businesses were lost, but Americans ended up raising thousands of dollars so a helicopter could be hired to go rescue the dog. It seemed like a sad reflection of our values.
I also know that in marketing and fundraising, it's human nature to connect more to the plight of a single person than to that of thousands or millions. People will give more money to help one individual, say in Darfur, than to support projects that help hundreds or thousands more to stay alive.
This is human nature. I get it. We want to feel like our assistance is making a difference and trust that more if money or aid goes to a specific person. When it goes to a mass of people, it feels like nothing changes and our generosity is wasted.
Knowing this, I was still surprised when I broke down at my desk and started crying when I read of the kidnapping of two more aid workers in Chad. More than two million people are displaced in Darfur, with hundreds of thousands more having crossed into Chad for refuge, and I cry when I read that two aid workers were snatched by bandits. Do I have no compassion for the masses in Sudan and the Congo and Somalia who are suffering terribly every day? Why is it only when the chaos and tragedy affects people within my line of work that I can no longer hold back the tears? I know, human nature. But it still made me sad to not be touched as deeply more regularly by the circumstances of those we attempt to serve.
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