The drama of the real world came crashing into our living rooms this past week with the earthquake that occurred in Haiti. The human calamity we have all witnessed on our TV’s as people have desperately tried to cope with the aftermath of such a devastating natural disaster hardly seems believable.

The scenes of devastation have moved Canadians, and citizens of the world are responding to what is both an infrastructure and human crisis. It’s almost impossible to fully appreciate the breadth of the challenges that poor, small island nation is currently facing.

My personal connection to, and appreciation for, large scale human tragedy came in the winter of 1980. As a young university graduate I travelled to Southeast Asia a few years after the end of the Vietnam War. After that terrible conflict, a civil war erupted in Cambodia.

In the late 1970s a vicious dictator by the name of Pol Pot initiated a holocaust against all educated Cambodians with a bizarre quest to erase all western influences and return to year zero (i.e., a return to a completely agricultural society). A civil war erupted and some two million Cambodians perished in one of the worst holocausts of the 20th century. Unfortunately, Pol Pot intentionally and systematically tried to eliminate anyone with education or who represented imported western or European values.

I was amazed by what I had read and travelled with a friend to see the aftermath of this with my own eyes. In a massive UN refugee camp on the Thailand/Cambodia border, I saw tens of thousands of displaced people—teachers, artists, scientists, engineers, children—all seeking sanctuary and safety. What a shock and a challenge for a young Canadian who had only known a life of safety, opportunity and order.

I will never forget the extraordinary deprivation those people faced. There were thousands living under plastic tarps, seeking shelter from the burning mid-day sun. They had nowhere to go and were powerless. In fact, I have kept a photo of a special feeding centre for new mothers from the camp in my office for the past 25 years—a concrete reminder of coming face-to-face with disaster for the first time.

But it was the hope, optimism and creativity in the Cambodian refugees that surprised me and impressed me the most. Picture this: a number of dancers from the Royal Cambodian ballet had survived the Pol Pot holocaust. To fend off crushing boredom, they practiced their skills every day in the UN refugee camp.

I ended up there under the guise of being a young Canadian journalist. The dancers insisted that my friend and I watch them perform. They simply wanted an audience… so they got us—two young Canadians wondering how we could ease their frustration.

As we watched them perform I have never felt more humble. It taught me about the power of talent, community and hope displayed by all the Cambodians, even in the face of desperation. As I left the camp I reflected on the many privileges we all share as Canadians.

Today again I am again reminded that Canadians are some of the most fortunate people in the world. It’s time to look to our brothers and sisters in Haiti and share our compassion and generosity. Reach out and help today. People are desperate and you have the power to help. Don’t miss the opportunity. — Headmaster Chris Shannon