400,000+ people killed by a tsunami

Where are the memorials?

I was watching latenight tv around this time four years ago when a thing came across the tv saying an earthquake had caused a tsunami in the indian ocean, casualties unknown.

The next few weeks would bring some of the craziest images/video anyone of us could ever imagine, and there were millions of people experiencing the stuff firsthand.

Moment of silence and recognition for anyone affected...

why do we need memorials? people grieve in their own way. there is no need for a lengthy 3 hour special on a disaster. people died. it happens.

reply to post by N. Tesla


Agreed. I don't get to see some tv special about my dead Father once a year .

Keep that in mind the next time half a million people in the state next to you die.

reply to post by alaskan


i live in new york. remember September 11th? many people i know have lost people in that tragedy. i aswell lost a few people on that day. does it mean i want to sit through a 3 hour memorial service? no because it wont bring them back and it won't matter. i grieve for them in my own way. no need for the world to grieve with me

It was 170,000 who died.

As for memorials -

Article 1

Article 2

Article 3

There are more. Just use google.

The money might be better spent on science and early warning systems rather then multi-million $$ memorials. But it's up to those people what they want to spend the $$ on I guess.

Memorial probably wasn't the right word to use.

I just think it's kind of weird to not hear a single word about something as big as this only four years after it happened.

reply to post by alaskan


its because people don't care. the whole world is in an economic slump. there are a few wars in progress and a few more ready to begin at any moment.

no one cares about a catastrophic event in a country they never been to

Maybe it because of that saying, something like: 1 person dies and it's a tragedy, thousands die and it's a statistic.

Originally posted by N. Tesla
reply to post by alaskan

 

its because people don't care. the whole world is in an economic slump. there are a few wars in progress and a few more ready to begin at any moment.

no one cares about a catastrophic event in a country they never been to

I care.

Peace.

reply to post by alaskan


We would be running out of room for burial plots and houses is we kept making memorials for obscure reasons.

What about the babies and kids killed in Vietnam...
What about the people who slipped in the tub?
What about the people who died in plane crashes?

Memorials should reside in ourselves. In our hearts for those who have lost. Those are the prettiest that can be made.

[edit on 26-12-2008 by Jkd Up]

reply to post by N. Tesla



It's not because people don't care. It's because people have to live their lives, and move on. They care, why else would so much money from all over the world go flowing into various charities?

reply to post by seagull


i would say Guilt. people feel guilty for not caring so they make up for it by donating money and "evening out" the universe.

some people do genuinely care but i personally think that a much larger amount doesnt.

Originally posted by N. Tesla
reply to post by seagull

 

i would say Guilt. people feel guilty for not caring so they make up for it by donating money and "evening out" the universe.

some people do genuinely care but i personally think that a much larger amount doesnt.

I care, but there is nothing I can do about it, life moves on. That's the logic.

If only I had superpowers, I would actually feel like I could do something to help lol. Sounds stupid I know, but I would love to be a superhero and actually make a difference, create that symbol of "hope" this world desperately needs..."change"



[edit on 26-12-2008 by _Phoenix_]

i watched a tsanami doco last night about the 26th december tsnami that killed those 400k+ people. it was on tv at 11:25pm

reply to post by alaskan


I don't care that there's no memorial. Why should there be? Mother Nature did what she always does. She's a heartless bitch, and you gotta love her for it.

So 170,00 people died. And? It happens.

Sure, I'd feel much more upset about it had a family member or friend been involved (that's not saying much because I don't feel upset about it in the least). However, I wouldn't expect a memorial. That does nothing.

These people did nothing honorable or noteworthy. They died. PEOPLE DIE! Everyday. One cause of death is no more honorable than the next.

You want a memorial for the victims? The families can bury them, if they ever recovered a body, and they can place a tombstone at the burial site. There's your memorial - the same memorial most dead people get.

Originally posted by NovusOrdoMundi
reply to post by alaskan

 

These people did nothing honorable or noteworthy.

I understand your view, but I think this part is just pretty arrogant. How do you know?

reply to post by _Phoenix_


They did nothing honorable or noteworthy by dying. The simple fact that they died a pretty horrible death doesn't warrant a memorial.

I am not speaking of their life in general, as I do not know what they did with their life. I am only referring to their death.

I read once that to grieve for a year is healthy and normal. Too grieve far beyond that is a sign of mental illness. It is not only unhealthy to grieve for long periods over your own loved ones, it is beyond unhealthy to grieve after years for total strangers. It would indicate a form of Clinical Depression and a need for help.

I am not talking about the normal grieving we do for our entire lives where our loved ones are concerned. I'm talking about when it comes to the point we have shrines to them in our homes and shed tears daily. Apply that to total strangers and you have an extreme case of Depression going on.

More than 155,000 people per day (approximately) die on this planet. That works out to about 57 million per year. Each one of those deaths just as tragic as any other no matter the cause. If we were to mourn each of them it would consume us.

I clearly remember on the one year anniversary of the Tsunami that most if not all news sources reminded us of the tragedy and gave it coverage. Beyond that would be too much. If it matters to you, you remember and you don't need a once yearly rehashing of the facts. Neither do the people who have a real reason to grieve as it was their families or their friends who died.

In reading your post I wonder if you are very young and just now coming to grips with the reality of death? Sometimes when people are sheltered from it as children by well meaning but wrong Parents they have a hard time coming to grips with the fact that everyone who is alive will die. We briefly mourn their loss and then we MUST get on with our own lives.

I'm at an age where I have literally buried my entire immediate family. My Parents were old when I was born so I buried them both by the time I was in my mid-twenties. Had I not been mentally healthy enough to carry on with my life, it could have had serious consequences on my mental health. One reason I believe I was able to cope is that I was never shielded from death or the discussion of it.

Don't punish yourself by feeling some kind of responsibility to mourn over total strangers killed by something over which you had no control. If it even affected you after a few weeks or days you need to come to grips with why. Why are you still grieving over an event that happened a few years ago that had no true impact on your life?

Ask yourself is the truth that you fear for your own mortality? Do you live in a state of fear that you will be struck by a Tsunami or similar disaster?