Nothing is as strong as possibility

January 04, 2005

I've been waking up every morning and turning on CNN International's coverage of the relief effort in Asia. There's something about it that has got me glued. Unlike post-9/11, this time the media is my friend. I'm embracing it because these images of sadness and desperation are something that the common person needs to witness, to feel and to sympathize with. Three years ago, the media was a frenzy of forced paranoia, of unnecessary warnings and one-sided storytelling. This time around, there's nothing to place the blame on except the innocence and unintentional naivety of the residents of the Indian Ocean. And that's stretching it.

The truth is, we always look to blame everything on someone, but this time that option is absent. Because of this factor, people have sit up and started to pay attention: I mean, really bad shit happened, and the only thing we can do is help each other. For example, I'm not an Apple fan. To date, I have yet to give Steve Jobs a penny. But to see their homepage putting the goodness of the victims ahead of their products is incredible. [Edit: Since this writing, they've made it a smaller part of their overall homepage, but at one time the relief effort engulfed the entryway.]

Would have, could have and should have—the greatest tragedy in this world remains regret. What has happened has happened, one must move on. Evolution has made us too smart to keep things simple, and in doing so has failed us.

Hope, faith, love, hate. The unexpected has the ability to break all these bonds that we cherish and deem to be so impenetrable. At the end of the day, only one truth remains: Nothing is as strong as possibility. And for that, we continue to hold our hearts tight and prepare for the impossible.

| A novel in two short sentences »

Steve Jobs decided to hose your link, but it was definitely a good thing they were doing.

welcome back.

i like the new website :o)

i recommend posting www.amazon.com in your away msg instead. it has a donation link as well - and the majority of people already have amazon accounts so it's easier.

there you are! i know where you live. let's hang out. food, anyone?

I saw probably one of the first documentaries on the Sumatra tsunami a few weeks ago, and it was the most intense thing I've ever seen. On a lighter note, the Shanghai pic is fabulous, what a trip! Post more, have fun, and stay away from the shady geishas.