While there are not enough words to describe the true devastation and hurt in my heart brought on by Hurricane Harvey, it did get me thinking about the heart and the pride and the resiliency found at the core of any American.
In the wake of tragedy, one thing is certain: people will come together. In today’s world, we are constantly driven apart by our differences. In a lot of cases, we seem to define ourselves by those differences in a negative way whether it be by religion, race, sexuality or any other number of “reasons” people come up with to isolate others. Despite this, I have noticed an exception: tragedies.
When tragedy strikes, all other problems and differences seem to lose some of their importance in order to make helping those in need the top priority. Time and time again, tragedy strikes and the American people are able to see what is truly important: each other. Hurricane Harvey reminded us of just that.
Almost immediately, donation after donations started pouring in. Businesses like Walmart and Walgreens set up collections at registers. Trapped victims of the flood reached out for help. Hundreds, even thousands, responded. Images on numerous social media outlets could be seen pulling their boats behind them, traveling into danger to provide any help that they could. Others found themselves, without hesitation, donating to the Red Cross when checking out at their local grocery store.
Another thing that I have noticed in the wake of tragedy is the way celebrities react. On most days, we place them on such a high pedestal, almost as if they are a different species entirely, seemingly God-like. Tragedy changes that and Harvey was no different.
Kevin Hart, Miley Cyrus, Matt Carpenter (St. Louis Cardinals), JJ Watt (Houston Texans) and many more donated thousands and then called on others to follow suit. In the time after a disaster such as Hurricane Harvey, no contribution—no matter how small—is too small. The unfortunate part is that many, including myself, do not have a significant amount to offer that can make a major impact. That’s exactly where the Hollywood stars come in.
Within days Watt’s fund totalled over $20 million, a fundraiser whose original goal was just $200,000 (half of which was donated by Watt himself). But when stars call, people answer. In a report put out by AccuWeather, Hurricane Harvey is set to be the most destructive and expensive storm in United States history, nearing $190 billion. While $20 million will not be near enough to restore the area to its previous state, it is more than enough to bring people hope.
It’s times like this and stories such as these that restore my faith and hope for humanity. When I hear updates on totals of donations, I can’t stop the tears that form in my eyes. With how some celebrities behave, it can be extremely easy to scrutinize them for wasting their opportunity to be a positive influence. But again, tragedies bring out the best of all of us, if only we could display those qualities all of the time.