Tsunamic Waves of Reflection

I was made aware that the most massive of human tragedies in recent human history did not make my list of top/bottom ten. How could one honest and sensitive type have overlooked such a universal calamity?

Isn't it interesting that the most pressing and important challenges of our lives often fall to such categories as: "later", "unconscious neglectfulness", "being in that reality is just too painful, lets make coffee" etc. And the tsunami ultimately presents itself as a 20 to 40 foot world wide wave of challenge to all of humanity at all levels of human beingness. We so desperately and quickly go to "why?" and "how?" and often skip right over "what's appropriate now?" We want to prevent such tragedies in the future, we want to learn and yet these impulses often lead us to not be present with what is happening front and center. With ease we slip into analysis and Monday morning quarterbacking, and while all the debate ensues, the recoiling from the waves impact continues. The wave, in this case, is both real and metaphorical. A very large impulse of energy occurs (in this case simply part of the pulse that started with the big bang, and led to Earth's formation, and shifting tectonic plates, earthquakes and tsunamis) and kaboom. We see the dramatic impact with that which appears to be static. The "plop" of the stone tossed into the still water of the clear and calm pond calls our attention and we are drawn to the primal event, the splash. Its exciting and compelling. The ripples extend to the edges and then reflect back and by that time we have lost interest. And where are the tsunami stories now, delegated to the back pages at best.

So perhaps it was with these sentiments in the background of my mind that I neglected one of Nature's most powerful events occurring just tens of miles from where I was. What was appropriate in this moment? My answer was to keep on seeing India, passing my rupees through the economy, checking in on fellow planetary citizens, mourning the human losses and marveling at the human responses. I was not compelled to "help" firsthand at the beaches; my instincts and experience in India told me the challenges would be largely logistic. There appeared to be no shortage of people to help rebuild and tend to injured - there had to be huge problems and bottlenecks in getting the experts and goods to the devastated. If I had ventured forth I would lay claim to food and shelter that could have been used for others. In addition, I was on a media fast, somewhat unintended, and was not struck by horrific TV and newspaper images on a daily, if not hourly, basis. This was how I went through it, and I don't know if it was the right or best way. This may explain why it did not have such a large impact and didn't make the list. Other factors are the list is slightly "tongue-in-cheek". It has a humorous, somewhat light tone and how does one weave one quarter of million instant dead into that without appearing disrespectful. And finally, I was quite overwhelmed by the chaos and desperation that was happening on a regular basis as I moved through inland India. It was hard for me to put the millions of instant homeless-aires just over the mountains into an appropriate context.

In this light, a new India bottom 10:
1 through 10:
Tsunami (T)suck.