In 2003, Tracy Kidder wrote about anthropologist Paul Farmer's efforts to improve the terrible conditions in Haiti. Kidder titled his book Mountains Beyond Mountains, a translation of the Haitian proverb Deye Mon Gen Mon.
The proverb holds several meanings for the Haitian people, usually referring to the endless obstacles, formidable and unrelenting, faced by a country beset with poverty, disease, and natural disasters. "Beyond the mountain, ...more mountains!"
The devastating earthquake that hit Haiti last week has been a horrendous tragedy for a country that was already in crisis! The media coverage is so sad, I couldn't bring myself to post one of the heartbreaking photos. The widespread destruction is impossible to comprehend. I couldn't help but remember Kidder's book in thinking about the insurmountable tasks ahead to help the people of Haiti. The needs are endless and all encompassing!
So many news stories are overwhelmingly sad but there are also amazing stories of loved ones found under rubble alive or ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the relief efforts. Small miracles amid the horrendous tragedy.
The scope and logistics of the needs are so great; it's gives such new meaning to the proverb Kidder used in his book seven years ago. The country lacks organization and infrastructure generally. The looting reports feels like desperate people doing desperate things. Clean water, food, shelter; things we take for granted are scarce commodities!
There is a quote from Saint Augustine that says: "What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like."
For the unrelenting mountains of issues that will face Haiti in the aftermath of this earthquake it is going to take the kind of love St. Augustine speaks about. Love that leads us to action.
