Monsoon horrors

The following information comes from cnn.com:

I would like to dedicate this post to all those who have lost their lives in the recent monsoon activity in southern Asia, specifically in India and Bangledesh! A moment of silence for all.

It has been reported that the death toll has reached 347 in both of these soaked countries. The mere fact that this number seems small in light of other recent tragedies around the globe is astounding to me!! Indeed, I am almost glad that so few have died over all in this particular tragedy. How could I have this feeling? What is it about societies all over the world that has made pain and suffering so commonplace that we scarcely dwell on what has happened, but seem to take many things in stride? I only wish I had any answers at all, but this is a question that has so many philosophical implications about the nature of humanity now and in the past that I am pessimistic that we may ever agree on any one interpretation.

There is more than deaths occurring in this far-flung portion of the globe. The article goes on to say that in addition to the deaths, millions of people have been driven from their homes and forced to live a life not far removed from a refugee camp. Of course, they really aren't far removed from what a refugee is traditionally considered to be. Perhaps the worse thing about the article, and something I had no knowledge of though it makes sense, is that this monsoon season and its subsequent tragedies occurs every year. EVERY YEAR!!!! Duh!, you might say, of course it happens every year as it is a natural phenomena and these countries need the rain. The horrible part is that people die and are displaced every single year because of this supposedly life-giving natural phenomena and most people don't even realize that this is happening.

I have always been, and I am ashamed to say this really, someone who rarely takes the time to read about what horrors are happening in the world. Indeed, I often use the excuses that I am too pessimistic about what is happening in the world or that as an Archaeologist I am too wrapped up in the past to pay attention to what is occurring all around me. As Jess, my fiancee, has remarked on more than one occasion to me, we all need to be aware of everything that is going on around us. In an attempt to do this myself, I will be using this blog as a forum for news articles that are occurring but aren't being covered in any great detail by the popular media. I will inevitably have my own viewpoint on these worldly happenings but, as always, I welcome and encourage others' opinions.