IF you know someone who often gives you tips and reminders, that person must be concerned about you. People show concern in different ways, but one thing is for sure – it involves giving something – information, time, talent, or something material that might benefit another individual.
Taal volcano’s phreatic eruption and the possibility of a “hazardous explosive eruption” made us see individuals, leaders and organizations whose caring ways made a difference in the lives of evacuees. They showed us that there are still people who are concerned about their fellowmen – a dressmaker who made facemasks out of scrap, men who volunteered to wash ash-covered windshields for safety, people and organizations who offered their doors to shelter evacuees, municipalities/cities/provinces that brought them truckloads of relief goods in addition to equipment, and simple individuals who gave a few relief goods.
If there is one good thing about Taal’s eruption, we Filipinos are given an opportunity to show our fellowmen that we care. Caring means taking time and effort to find out what an evacuation center needs. Are there infants, children, women, old people and sick evacuees? What are their special needs? How can they get a certain degree of privacy?
Caring means helping evacuees relocate or go back to their homes and begin again when the crisis is over.
By the way, someone shared that in a disaster-prone region, evacuees do not line up for food. It is brought to their rooms!
May we continue to find different ways of showing our concern, especially in times of crisis.
“Love is when you are as concerned about someone else’s situation as you are about your own.” (Morrie Schwartz).
