If the whole earth hears of a nation in famine
but no one hears of the unfed child down the street
is the hunger of the one any less than that of the many?
If the whole earth hears of a mass death tragedy
but few hear about the girl who died of cancer
is the grief less for the family of the one than the families of the many?
Oh sure the nations weep for the many who are known
but known as numbers and not as names
but the one is a name and not a statistic
is the pain any less for the named than the number?
Weep indeed for the known multitude
But realize that of the masses, each number has a name
Each one is known and loved
And don’t forget the smaller tragedies
For somehow
the small tragedies and the large
are exactly the same size
~~
this past weekend, my province was rocked by the news of a tragic traffic accident involving a hockey team. Of the 29 people on board, half are dead. None walked away uninjured…at the same time, however, our family has been touched by the death of a young girl who died of cancer. Her death will not make front-page news, and yet her family hurts just as deeply as the families of the kids on that bus
written for napowrimo.net
Quest for Whirled Peas 