A few weeks ago, on November 9, a powerful typhoon struck the Philippines. With winds as fast as 195 mph and gusts going as fast as 235 mph, a good portion of the country was decimated in the wake of the storm. Thousands of people died and even more people were injured. Also known as Typhoon Haiyan, it struck through the island of Leyte and other nearby islands.
As of this moment, over 3,000 people have died in an official tally. This number is expected to rise, even with the amount of aid coming in for the many who survived the calamity. There is far too little aid, such that thousands are going untreated, hospitals lack supplies, food and fresh water is scarce, and whatever shelter existed was swept away in the storm.
As sad as this all sounds, and as the death toll is expected to increase up to ten-thousand people, that doesn’t mean the island of Leyte, all of the islands around Leyte, and Vietnam (who had the last brunt of the typhoon), won’t rebuild from the disaster. The Philippines gets 20 typhoons each year, so who’s to say they won’t get through this? Looking at all the people who are trying their hardest to support the effort of aiding those lost in the tragedy, it isn’t just hope or blind optimism that the countries will wake from the ashes – they already have.
There is one issue I want to bring up because of the typhoon. Thanksgiving is next week. The Xbox One is coming out this Friday. The Playstation 4 just came out. With all of this crazy consumerism, I ask you to stop for a second. Look around and take notice of where you are. Think of the people who care for you and those you care for. Our lives really aren’t so bad. It drives me up a wall whenever I hear people more worried about review scores for Killzone: Shadow Fall than people grateful that they’re still alive to see another day.
I have family that was hit during the disaster (if you’re wondering, they’re all safe physically). After the storm, besides my optimism that everything will work out if we all do what we can to help, I thought about what’s important in my life and everyone who supports me. Aren’t we all lucky people that we have the luxury to go on Internet forums and rant about useless game consoles? Now that it’s Noble November and a week before Thanksgiving, let’s stop the petty squabbles and be thankful that we have food, water, and a roof over our heads.
