What Is There to Say?

Bad things are happening around me. A professor who has taught for 38 years at my school died suddenly. He was teaching one of my classes this semester. I only had one class meeting with him, so I didn't know him too well. I've never heard an unkind word spoken about him, and that's something considering how vicious even a 'less' competitive school like mine is. He seems to have been one of those truly inspirational teachers that enriched every single one of his students and colleagues. When I was an undergrad, one of my teachers killed himself. I didn't enjoy the class after that, and I doubt I'll be able to muster up much enthusiasm for this one.

On the national scale, what is there but Katrina? It seems like we should have better prepared, but it'll do no use complaining about that now. Rather, what to do with the aftermath? I think I'd like to do more than just throw money at the Salvation Army or Red Cross. Obviously those are good things to do, but it seems so clinical and cold. Maybe I don't have a good concept of the scope of this issue, but with the government giving $10.5 billion, what would my fifty bucks do? I feel like New Orleans need people to help and places to go. My parents are thinking about how to have our extra room/s be available to a small family. While the idea of inviting a stranger to live with us for--what? a year? two?--seems scary, it does also seem to be the Christian response. I suppose its the ongoingness of helping that will be the true test, not just the immediate response. How many of us were actively concerned about the Tsunami victims last week? Surely, they're still far from rebuilding a normal life, but the aid has probably dropped radically.

I don't know what to do. I feel inadequate. One of my friends is rather fired up about this. He is bullying his students into donating money, and made them do writings on how they were individually going to help the Katrina survivors. I made my class cookies and joked with them about taking a field trip to see the new Harry Potter film in November. Clearly, he's the better man, but it made me want to be better.