You are the Difference

I have always been a sucker for a natural disaster movie. That being said, some are well done and some not so much. This weekend we saw "The Impossible" and I just plain loved it.

First of all, I realized I am not a fan of the dramatic irony. The movie started on December 24 (the tsunami happened on December 26), so for two days of "movie time", I was a nervous wreck. I am the kind of person that the waiting apparently bothers more than the actual event.

And that wave sequence-- WHEW. I don't know that I have ever watched a more dramatic or intense scene in a movie. It was rough. I was exhausted when it was over. They did a really incredible job of projecting the terror of that moment and the moments to come onto the viewer.

I won't give away the plotline (although it is a real life incident, so you kind of know the general facts already), but it was extremely moving to see the dramatization of that horrific event. I think the most astounding part is that in a country with little to no infrastructure, that they did as well as they did with recovery. I kept tearing up at the scenes where the tourists were aided by the local people, scenes that showed that culture and language are not barriers when it comes to man helping his fellow man.

I heard a quote once that the truest test of human rights is "Is it good for children?" If the answer is no, then it is likely not in line with human rights. Although obviously a tsunami has nothing to do with human rights and cannot be prevented in any way, this movie reminded me that, though all ages of people were traumatized and killed by this event, children are always the victims. From natural disasters like this tsunami and the earthquake in Haiti to man-inflicted horrors like the Holocaust and the refugee situation from Syria to domestic destruction like child abuse and neglect.... children are always the victims.

It is just yet another reminder that the innocents are always among us and it is always our responsibility to do whatever we can to help them. We are so quick to dismiss people around us as having "brought it on themselves"... the guy holding the sign on the side of the road, the drug addict, the family living among us in terror of being deported. What if rather than constantly evaluating their circumstances and the paths that led them to those spots, instead we reached out a hand or a hug or a meal or a blanket?

It is only when we are willing to try that humanity's condition and its improvement becomes possible.

You are the difference between impossible and possible.