From disaster: Hope and progress

There is a remarkable ability within human beings to rise anew from horror, sometimes better than before. Not to say that disaster is a necessary precursor to improvement and renewed strength; it is, however, one way to get there.

This morning I heard U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton mention this with two specific examples: Rwanda and Aceh, the northernmost province of Indonesia. Rwanda, of course, was the nation that suffered horrifically during a genocide perpetrated by Hutus against their Tutsi rivals. Aceh was battered by the 2007 tsunami that wrought havoc throughout the Asian Pacific Rim. Sec. Clinton is right—both are shining examples not only of resilience, but of creating anew in the rubble of what was.

Neither nation has suddenly emerged as a global power, nothing like that. But each is finding its way, painfully and slowly, back from the nightmare. That is my supreme hope for Haiti: step by awful step, a new hope emerges.

Haiti will need much help. Haitians have mismanaged the government and their own land, turning once-fertile farmland into barren waste (which is part of the reason why they must import so much food). But that can be changed, too. It is possible. I pray for Haitians, for Haiti, for all who are working to rebuild a future for future Haitians.