Listen to this articleCALL TO DUTY
As I noted on the "Home" page of this website, there are both human-induced and naturally occurring disasters on Earth. Human-induced disasters include activities such as the Holocaust, slavery, ethnic cleansing, torture, rape, war, murder, falling artificial satellites, and so forth. Naturally occurring disasters include activities such as floods, droughts, tornadoes, typhoons, dust storms, snow blizzards, volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, avalanches, meteor showers, and so forth. When these different types of disasters occur, there usually is much destruction, hardships, injuries, anxieties, suffering, and loss of life.
Perhaps one of the worst natural disasters to occur on Earth is the asteroid strike that is widely believed or is generally posited to have led to the demise of the dinosaurs. Perhaps one of the worst human-induced disasters to occur on Earth was Adolf Hitler's prosecution of World War II where some scholars estimate that as many as 75 million humans perished.
The following video takes a [somewhat lighthearted] look at ten prospects for human extinction based on both naturally occurring disasters in Nature and human-induced disasters.
The following video takes a more serious look at ten prospects for human extinction based on both naturally occurring disasters in Nature and human-induced disasters.
The following link offers more information about nuclear technology and the nuclear threat to human existence.
THE HUMAN FACTOR: HUMANS HELPING HUMANS
In much the same sense as disasters seem to be unending, there is no shortage of need on Earth. The much-deserved need for charitable assistance almost always exceeds available resources as the following website illustrates:
When the call to duty is sounded, however, perhaps one of the best ways that you can assist is by contributing money. The money that you contribute normally goes to organizations that specialize in mobilizing the resources and assets needed to turn the tide on a given humanitarian crisis.
There is one thing certain about naturally occurring disasters, and it is this: They do not discriminate. Naturally occurring disasters do not care anything about what your race, age, color, creed, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, health, nationality, socioeconomic status, political affiliation, or geographic location, and so forth, happens to be. If you find yourself in the path or crosshair of a natural disaster, then it is almost certain to ensnare, engulf, or otherwise adversely impact you.
Fortunately, there are many altruistic-minded humans and organizations on Earth who have risen to the challenge. They are endeavoring to assuage and ameliorate the adverse tolls that these disasters tend to take on the general well-being of affected humans:
Unfortunately, when widespread tragedies, catastrophes, and humanitarian disasters occur, you can rest assured that there will be a few unscrupulous humans who will attempt to exploit the situation. For personal and selfish gain, these ill-intentioned humans will set up fake or sham charities to defraud concerned and altruistic-minded citizens. There also will be a few unscrupulous others who will make false claims upon charitable organizations to receive undeserved disaster assistance. Certain websites do attempt to help donors avoid contributing to dishonest, disreputable, and otherwise fraudulent charities. One such watchdog website is the following one:
I realize that constantly having to reach into your purse or wallet to donate to the many, many worthy causes across Earth can become overwhelming and financially draining. However, when disasters occur, it seems that the only comfort, support, and help that humans assuredly can rely on is the comfort, support, and help of other humans. For instance, in my lifetime, not once have I witnessed God appearing on the scene to help in the aftermath of a natural disaster. God supposedly is all-powerful. Most humans believe that God is powerful enough to stop a natural disaster right in its tracks before it inflicts any damage. God's name usually is the first name that's called upon by humans when a natural disaster strikes. One has to wonder: If God saw fit to appear on Earth and come to the assistance of the Jewish people during Biblical times, then why doesn't He, She, or It see fit to appear on Earth and come to the assistance of today's humans? The human need for God's appearance and assistance on Earth today is just as great as—or greater than—it was during Biblical times. For starters, unlike during Biblical times, today's humans have to contend with things like global warming, crack cocaine, nuclear weapons, water shortages, food shortages, and 7 billion humans vying for the Earth's limited natural resources.
Disasters repeatedly have proven that humans cannot rely on God to appear on Earth and to help them recover. Humans must rely on one another. Nobody knows when and where the next big disaster will strike. You very well could be the one who requires assistance when the next big disaster strikes.
Another devastating disaster seems to visit Earth with each new year. Humans have to find ways to cope with these disasters when they arrive. Three of the most recent massive disasters to occur are Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan in the Philippines, the refugee crisis resulting from the Syrian civil war, and the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. These three massive disasters are red lights. They are signalling to the peoples of the Earth that, once again, it is time for them to open their hearts, reach into their pocketbooks, and donate to help. It does not matter how small the amount of the donation. Every little bit helps.
07-NOVEMBER-2013: Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan
2011: Syrian Civil War
22-MARCH-2014: The Ebola Crisis
25-APRIL-2015: The Nepal Earthquake
14-AUGUST-2021: Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund
Afghanistan Emergency Fund
Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund
Turkey and Syria Earthquake Relief Fund
Morocco Earthquake Relief Fund
Libya Flood Relief Fund
SOS · · · ˗ ˗ ˗ · · ·
A BRIGHTER TOMORROW
Even when faced with the deepest emotional despair and the worst physical destruction, opportunity exists. When the crisis or disaster has passed, the opportunity exists to rise like a phoenix and start anew. When rebuilding, there is the opportunity to do things differently, smarter, and better. There is the opportunity to modernize, to innovate, to be imaginative, and to be creative. There is the opportunity to deploy the latest green technologies. There is the opportunity to adopt the latest land-use planning techniques. Of course, when it comes to disaster recovery, the reality or challenge usually is this: There generally is a mismatch or gap between ingenious rebuilding solutions and having the resources to bring those ingenious rebuilding solutions into fruition.
- Additional Disaster Resources:
SEARCH THIS SITE:
Intellectual Property Disclosures: All videos and songs (as well as many of the images) referenced or spotlighted throughout this website are the legal and intellectual properties of others. All content and opinions on this website (bruessard.com) are those of the author (Edward Bruessard) exclusively and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the contributors, creators, owners, and distributors of these referenced videos, songs, and images. The author holds no legal interest or financial stake in any of these referenced videos, songs, and images. The contributors, creators, owners, and distributors of these referenced videos, songs, and images played no role at all regarding the appearance of said videos, songs, and images throughout this website; they had no clue that this website would be spotlighting their works.
