Nature Hits China, Myanmar, the World

We have been remiss, slogging through our own weary world, feeling the corners move closer, and blogging lagged for the past week. The world itself continued on, also in the slag, beset by the blind step of nature, and suffering abounds. While the financial world continues its season of remorse, we can't help but turn our eye for a moment to Asia and the difficulties there.

The cyclone in Myanmar certainly dominated the news coverage and rightfully so. People have died, and are dying, in numbers that are unreal; because it is all so far away, and not Americans, it is truly hard to take pause and count the loss. The tendency here in the U.S. is to start donating or expressing some kind of ill defined words of consolation without it overwhelming the daily thought process. It is over there, and we are here, and ultimately we have our problems: tornadoes and home loss, massive illegal immigration busts and local government corruption (yes Detroit, that is you).

As the news in Myanmar grew more tragic, with the junta that runs the country suspicious and unwilling to open the doors to massive aid, perhaps eyeing the numerous American military ships that happened to be having war games with nearby Thailand, an earthquake in China stepped in, and on, the narrative, spreading the pain across a wider region.

There is nothing constructive to be said now that has not been said elsewhere. The N.Y. Times tells us (of the Myanmar disaster):

The scenes and the scale of the devastation recalled Asia’s last great natural disaster, the 2004 tsunami, which claimed 181,000 lives in several countries.

The Chinese quake hit primarily in Sichuan province and the Chinese government has mobilized its massive military to assist in the aid process and is accepting international assistance.

The central government, which said it was spending $120 million on rescue efforts, has sent 50,000 soldiers to the disaster zone. “We welcome funds and supplies,” Wang Zhenyao, the Civil Affairs Ministry’s top disaster relief official, said, according to The Associated Press. “We can’t accommodate personnel at this point.”

(N.Y. Times)

What is most interesting in all this misery is comparing the two governments and how they have handled the disasters. The larger burden to bear is on Myanmar and yet, they are far more reluctant to allow the type of assistance that is just moments away in boats in the ocean and relief teams sitting in Thailand. The ruling generals are reluctant to allow foreign influence to affect their nation, and at the expense of the people of the nation.

The other variant of undemocratic rule found in China has been far more open, with the country better prepared to handle its difficulties, but more open and honest with the damage and relief efforts.

The conclusion that can be drawn is that all non-democratic regimes are not the same, though often we tend to paint all with the same brush. One cannot help but look at events like this and see a China that is far more open than ever in allowing the world to see its difficulties. The government then, is trying. Yes trying NOT to be overtaken by democratic reform, but still trying to serve its people within the context of its current capabilities.

Let us hope such change continues, everywhere, and even in our own realm and hearts, where we can learn to better manage our own personal storms and sudden periods of darkness. Darkness invariably comes, but the preparation and the response are everything.