with Nelia Dingcong-Bernabe

I am taking a break. I’ve decided to pull the stops after days of writhing in pain every time I turn to watch the news. The aftermath of the catastrophe in Haiti is so gut-wrenching that I decided to take a break from any news coverage that has anything to do with it. For now.

Like a smoker quitting cold turkey for the umpteenth time, I am claiming the empty space between the TV and me. I am embracing my self-imposed news blackout like stilettos on drag queens. For now.

Although I must say that I do cheat a little. Ummm…just a teeny-weeny bit! A total news blackout would be the bane of my existence and I won’t be completely forthcoming if I profess it to be a complete blackout. I peek. I peep. I eavesdrop. I keep half an ear open. I kind of have to, writing is in my DNA and anything newsworthy is what feeds my soul.

But there really comes a time when you have to take a step back even for just a zippy moment. I guess the breaking point has arrived after I have emotionally bombarded my senses with everything Haiti. Words have finally escaped me because there simply is no English word that can describe what has happened there. Not even the word “apocalypse.”

Nevertheless, the spectrum stretches from one end to the other. Just as I am dumbfounded with the seismic proportions of the tragedy in Haiti, I am equally in awe by the spontaneous outpouring of support for the country and her people. Impressive. Inspiring. Heart warming.

The deluge of love and support for Haiti by the citizens of the world is a wonderful reminder of how beautiful the human spirit is. No politics, no questions, no hesitation. The world acted on saving Haiti and her people instantaneously. Right before our very eyes, we see the magnitude and depth of the human generosity and kindness come alive. It’s a beautiful thing.

Short of sounding like a literary discourse plucked out of some goody two-shoes book of great deeds, I am compelled to give credit where credit is due. In the caliber of 9/11, America has come forward and tackled the painstaking task of rebuilding the destroyed nation and lifting the crushed spirits of her people.

During my sporadic stolen peeks and glances, the sight of American men and women in their uniforms boarding the different U.S. aircrafts bound for Haiti gives me a reason to smile that big smile and acknowledge the big nudge in my heart. The fairytale-like quality when I watch the uniformed Americans and Americans in general in action becomes real. At the back of my mind I’m thinking everything will be all right, the Americans are coming.

Regardless of the gargantuan challenges that America is facing right now and the criticisms hurled her way, she has always been in the frontline when it comes to stepping up and helping those who are in need elsewhere in the world. I immerse myself in a favored spot where living and breathing means soaking her generous spirit every day. No matter the criticisms, there simply is no other place on earth that would extend humanitarian acts like America would - not even remotely close by any standard, not even one.

So for days now and having embraced my self-imposed news blackout, my ears perk up when I hear snippets of good news – a woman found alive and extricated after five days of being buried in the rubble, a child pulled out of the concrete ruins, an adopted orphan identified and reunited with her adoptive American parents, basic stuff like food and water that are finally getting to the hands of displaced Haitians. Any piece of good news becomes a ray of hope. After all, the Americans are there.

Concerted efforts to raise money to help ravaged Haiti are sweeping this nation - from the stellar cast of George Clooney’s telethon to the girl who raised over $1000 in her school by simply asking her friends and schoolmates to donate $10. Only in America and only the American brand of kindness and generosity could mobilize such an impressive humanitarian feat.

The American Red Cross and hundreds of other non-profit organizations have stepped up their game as well. What the American Red Cross has done in terms of the money that they have collected within 48 hours of the tragedy is impressive beyond words. Those who have followed suit are just as impressive and inspiring.

The beauty and resilience of the human spirit does not have a better stage than what’s going on in Haiti right now. The world coming together to save Haiti shines a bright light on the triumph of good over evil. The scales have definitely tipped over when the earthquake happened and although the tipping back is nowhere in sight because of the enormity of what has yet to happen, the good work has begun.

For chronic good seers like me, watching my heroes do their selfless act of reaching out to the now-displaced Haitian woman, man and child becomes a source of immense inspiration.

I feel my self-imposed news blackout coming to an end very soon, brief but worthwhile. The short respite has allowed me to sift through not only the really gut-wrenching part but more importantly, it has illuminated a perspective that acknowledges the work that the Americans and the rest of the world are doing in Haiti and for Haiti.

I believe the 10 o’clock news is almost on. It’s time to rest my weary fingers and watch the news. At this point, I declare my self-imposed news blackout over. For now, see what you can do to help Haiti and her people. Help we must for we are our brother’s keeper.

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