Francisco Gomes de Matos sends a message of solidarity
(please see the message he responds to further down):

That's planetary responsibility, Evelin.
I endorse your warm words wholeHEARTedly.
May 2005 be a year of sharing humankind's sufferings and joys with dignity.

The media spoke of disaster, showing the event as demise, but what has the day after taught us to humanize?

Francisco Gomes de Matos,
Recife, Brazil

This is the message, Francisco is responding to:

Dear Friend!

Today is the first day of 2005.
Our Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies group/network and I would like to wish you a wonderful 2005.
However it is hard to wish us a "wonderful 2005" in the face of the Asia tsunami tragedy.

I often discuss how "big events" can change the mindsets of people. I have organized a "big event" with 20,000 people in 1993 in Hamburg, as a modest attempt to change people's mindsets, see www.humiliationstudies.org/intervention/events.php (please contribute with new ideas!!!) and www.humiliationstudies.org/whoweare/evelin03.php.

Unfortunately, other "big events," such as 9/11, since they could be ascribed to "enemies," polarized the world and changed the mindset of a number of people in a rather destructive way with respect to world peace. In a global cycle of humiliation perceptions clash; one party's heroism is perceived by the other as humiliation.

However, the Asia quake, as terrible as it is, can hardly be ascribed to "enemies." Perhaps this is the only positive element in it? This catastrophe might become a symbol for the need to care for our world in joint responsibility? How come that wealthy people use these countries as cheap holiday destination, keeping them too poor for having and maintaining sound warning systems? The result is that the locals die, but also the tourists die...
So: this tragedy could perhaps be seen as a "big event" that reminds us all that we are living on one tiny planet, half of which can be affected by a single earthquake, and that we are in it altogether. We could perhaps "use" this catastrophe, to draw attention to our One-World reality!?

I send you and your families my warmest wishes, and hopefully 2005 will offer us all new opportunities!
Looking very much forward to hearing from you again!

Evelin