Vigil for Myanmar

About a week ago, Cyclone Nargis devastated Myanmar. Many people died from the violent cyclone and many more have been displaced. Since then, many organizers have tried to reach people who are suffering from lack of food or clean water. However, the Burmese government has been hesitant to receive help and asks only for money that they can distribute themselves. Besides the governmental problems, there is almost no transportation to get the victims the supplies they desperately need and military of Myanmar has less than 100 helicopters.

All of these problems combined have created the perfect storm and now groups from all over the world are scrambling to come up with a plan to help save lives. Until the Burmese government opens up their doors and allows others to come in and help, these victims who have been virtually stranded in a maze of destruction will be left to fend for themselves. This situation is different from many other natural disasters that have occurred, usually the plan of action is to create food drives and raise money for organizations to send aid and medical help, but the government is keeping their doors closed, and as long as they do, it seems that all we can do as citizens

Because of the unlikely circumstances and urgency of this situation, groups from all over the world have banded together to help so my friends and I decided to do the same. We held a vigil at my house to pray for those stuck without the necessary supplies to survive. Over 20 friends and family members showed up to pray that the victims could hold on long enough for aid to come. We gathered together on Tuesday evening and watched news clips while we discussed the situation and how it could have been handled in a much more efficient manner.

We also discussed the relationship America has with many countries and why our relationships with other countries have been so rocky. This tragedy was definitely something that we needed to discuss because as human beings our hearts automatically go out to the families who are clinging to life until help arrives. The vigil was a good opportunity to come together and I suppose that if we couldn't physically do anything for those that were victims of Cyclone Nargis, we could do something spiritually.

I used to live in Okinawa, Japan, and we had typhoons on a regular basis. They were powerful, but they were never too big of a problem. However, even though I knew I was safe inside with my mom, I was still scared about the winds knocking trees onto our home. Many times, after typhoons we'd come outside and there would be huge trees that had been uprooted. And even though I went through that, I still cannot imagine a cyclone that would cause such intense road blockage and wipe out entire villages. It's such a scary situation that definitely needs to be taken care of.

Before I held this vigil I felt hopeless but now I feel like something good can happen. This story has caught the attention of major organizations and if the government can just open their doors and permit aid to enter the country, this problem can be handled quickly and efficiently. I think that vigils are a great way to unite people and whether or not others believe in the power of prayer, I believe that it helped on some level. Positive energy breeds positivity and hopefully, the governments will be able to cooperate to save some lives. However, until progress is made the people of Myanmar will be in my thoughts and prayers.