On Dec. 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter Scale occurred about 100 miles off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island at a depth of about four miles. This earthquake caused tsunamis (tidal waves) that raced across the ocean at speeds of 500 mph; breaking onto shores with waves more than 30 feet high. Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Somalia, Burma, Maldives, Malaysia, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Kenya, and the Seychelles, were all impacted by these waves.
Last week, the Tufts University family gathered in Goddard Chapel on the one month anniversary of this tragedy to reflect and pray for the victims, survivors and relief worker in those areas. TCU President David Baumwoll spoke along with Aaron Phillips from the Buddhist Sangha and the Associate Catholic, Jewish, Muslim and Protestant Chaplains. This was a program put together with the help of Matthew Pohl of the TCU Senate. It is in times of disasters and tragedies that families come together to support and comfort one another. It is a time to face the shadows and look for hope.
Recently, I was asked to be a guest on Neil Conan's NPR "Talk of the Nation" on the topic of the religious response to the tsunami. Many people called into the show questioning and struggling with the meaning of natural disasters and their own larger beliefs/spiritualities/faith traditions. Natural disasters should never be seen as a punishment from the Creator.
That is not the higher power I pray to. Most of the monotheistic faith traditions would say that the Creator has an active and passive will. The creator's passive will allows nature and natural order to have its own free will. Yes, there are going to be natural disasters, and bad things are going to happen to very good people. But this should never be seen as punishment or planned action from the Creator. If that was so, we would all be just puppets on strings dancing to the Creator's wishes. No, the Creator has also given us free will. The question is how do we use our own free will?
The second of February is Groundhog Day. It is the day when Punxsutawney Phil may or may not see his shadow. If there is a shadow there is six more weeks of winter. "Groundhog Day" is also the great Bill Murray movie, in which Murray wakes up to the same day, Groundhog Day, to re-live it, every day. This begins as a horror/scary movie theme, yet there is hope in how Murray puts the time to productive use.
I would like to think that natural disasters, anniversaries like the 60th anniversary of the opening of the concentration camps, Sept. 11, Rwanda and Dafur in the Sudan, force us to reflect how we use our human freedom to mend and resolve to help those in need. In the Christian Scriptures there is the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:31-34). This story begins with a question, "And who is my neighbor?"
Jesus of Nazareth tells the story of a man who is beaten and robbed. The various leadership people of the day all pass by the person who was beaten and robbed. But it was a foreigner, a Samaritan, who stopped and helped the victim, binding the wounds and providing food and shelter. The answer to the question "Who is my neighbor?" is anyone in need.
We have to ask ourselves how we are going to use our freedom to help those in need. Yes, there are many websites where donations can be made directly. The Jumbo Relief Site, American Red Cross(www.redcross.org/donate/donation.form.asp), Americares (www.americares.org), Catholic Relief Services (www.catholicrelief.org), Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara (www.dharmavijaya.org), Oxfam America (www.oxfam.org), and Doctors of the World (www.doctorsoftheworld.org) are some of the many sites.
We who have received many blessings and favors from the Creator need to give back to the larger community, especially those in need. All of us as individuals and members of the Tufts University family need to determine how we are going to bring Pax et Lux - Peace and Light - to the world.
Reverend David M. O'Leary is the Tufts University Chaplain and an adjunct professor of Comparative Religions and Medical Ethics.
