Strictly speaking, this is not a Writing Wednesday post. But it is about Writing, and it is on a Wednesday, so you can call it a Writing Wednesday post. As all of you know, the Digressionista Burrower, Cruella, went to Japan on work in January. In the days after the tsunami, she reported faithfully from Tokyo. Yesterday, she had to make the painful decision to go back home to Norway, and to decide on whether and when to return after things returned to normal.
We are naturally still in a bit of a shock because of how close one of our own came to the disaster, and that's going to manifest itself as missed blog posts for a couple of days till we come to terms with it. But since we do not want to miss a day if we can help it, here are some ways in which we writers can show our solidarity with the people of Japan- Bookish ways to Help Japan.
As many of you know, I work in the social sector, and am actively involved with fund-raising for non-profits. It is reliably learnt that Japan does not at this point need financial assistance. In fact, there are articles on how people and organizations are raising money without a clue as to how it is going to be spent. So do not feel guilty about not being able to donate anything.
In India, we have lived through more than our share of natural and man-made disasters. The one thing that people need at a time like this is to know that others care. Show your solidarity for Japan, but doing what you do best - WRITE FOR JAPAN!
4 comments:
What a wonderful idea!
*checking out the link*
When I post on my blog, I will leave a link here. Excellent!
sounds good. I'm so in a dream with all this. not a dream I guess but a state of unreality. worried about our girl.
Natasha - thank you so much for this. I am now safe at home, but somehow it feels almost worse because I now don't know - like the rest of you - since the information we get at home seems tilted, so say the least. I think I may have left in such a hurry that I didn't get to pack everything: for instance my heart remains in Japan.
I feel conflicted about the news of not donating. I have already made some encouragements for people to do that, and yet I too read the news that donations are not yet accepted. Looking at the affected areas I have difficulties believing that foreign aid will not eventually be needed, but I guess that it is a fair assessment to hold the money until it is requested.
Thus, I heartily (even if my heart is a continent away) agree that write for Japan is something we all can do right now. Thank you so much for this post.
Love.
Glad to know you are back home, Missy. I know you want NEWS, but we want you to be safe, Mari, so please be safe.
About the donation bit- mixed feelings really. I work for a fundraising organisation, so you would think WE KNOW. But even we are evenly split down the middle on whether to get involved or not. Three of us feel we should not now be raising funds, but the others feel we should be doing something. No points for guessing which set works with the implementing agencies, and which works with the donors!
Hard though it is to believe, this relief stage is the easier one. People are involved, engaged, passionate. It is the rebuilding that would be long, tough, boring, lonely. That's when Japan will need people, resources, know-how, and perhaps even money. That's when you can go back and look for your heart among the debries.
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