Channelling tragedy into positive change.

To continue the trend of having a guest writter on the blog once a fortnight I have chosen a friend of mine named Kate Winch. I have only met Kate once, however during this meeting I could tell that Kate was passionate about life and the people in and around her. I have been reading some of her comments, stats updates and posts on Facebook and came across this awesome one below, it resonated with me and I thought all the blog readers would like to give it a read. Enjoy!


The past few months have seen various parts of the world subjected to horrific natural disasters. Our media outlets have been flooded with stories of tragedy, miracles and heroism. We've watched as people lost everything they owned, and the resounding cho...rus has been, "At least I am alive."

For most of us, as these events unfolded, we become information junkies. We waited for the next update as we struggled to comprehend events we, as people, simply had no control over. It scared us. Talk quickly turned to the issues of climate change, political blame and, for some, the prophecies for 2012. But that's where it ended - watching and talking. No action.

All focus was initially on Queensland's floods. This was overtaken by news of Cyclone Yasi, while Victoria's floods and bushfires only received minimal attention because other events were larger. Then there were the quakes in New Zealand. This time Queensland was forgotten. Not long after New Zealand became the next to be pushed down the ladder, as news broke of the disaster in Japan. Our hearts broke for the people involved each time. We also joined the chorus, "At least you are alive."

How many of us though took the time to really realise just how much value there is in a life? Both our own and that of other people?

If something like the past few months doesn't cause you to re evaluate your life, what will? Because for most of us, we are still sitting watching news, crying for strangers while our next door neighbors heart is breaking, our families are hurting and people are lonely. The natural disasters this year couldn't be stopped, but so many closer to home could be if we were all prepared to get off our butts, sacrifice a little time and care about someone else.

What if when we updated our Facebook status with prayers for wherever, we also sent a message to a friend to ask how they were? Or if we turned off the streaming disaster coverage and had coffee with a family member? What if we realised that the person hurting on tv is just the same as the person hurting right beside us? If we saved one life, or eased one burden, wouldn't it be worth the effort? Or is it just easier to watch a disaster miles away and say, "I wish I could do something," without ever having to risk actually doing it? If we do nothing, nothing changes.

We may not be able to do anything about what has happened, or climate change, or 2012, but we can do something to change the world. We can become better citizens, in small ways, every day. We can turn our emotional responses to these disasters into positive change for ourselves and our loved ones. If we genuinely feel for other people, shouldn't we be doing something about it? Shouldn't we extend the same empathy to all people, not just the ones headlining the news?

I, for one, will no longer live in fear of death, disaster or apocalypses. Being informed is great, but unless you use that information for something, other than scaring yourself, it doesn't serve a purpose. What does is actually living. Take that fear, and the realisation that we aren't going to live forever, and channel it into a full, happy and compassionate life.

Think about it. If you died today, what would you regret not having done? Not telling someone how you felt? Not taking a risk? Not standing up for something you believe in? Not following your dream? Right now, you still have all those opportunities. All you have to do is take them. It's easy to believe the results will be bad, because we are fed on tragedy and heartbreak, but there are just as many miracles and outpourings of love.

Today, really live. It's the only true way to honour the precious gift we call life.