I wished Filipinos were less fatalistic. What's the use of such prayers? The Chinese didn't pray when a worse tragedy in the form of the Sichuan earthquake struck them. And the main difference I can see between China and the Philippines is the quality of their government.
If they must pray, they ought to ask God for better government and then they need to show their leaders that laziness and incompetence are not tolerated.
Martin Luther King prayed all the time but there was massive action too. That's what is missing in the Philippines. The way they are going about it, they will become the battle ground for big powers in the days to come and they only have themselves to blame. They are setting the high benchmarks for crying for help.
Update: 3:45pm
I had been following this story in the NYT before it appeared in our papers yesterday. I couldn't bring myself to blog about it then. This was a needless death. Totally unnecessary and I am sure there are too many similar but untold examples. Do you solve such problems with the sort of prayers I am reading? Of course not. With such fatalistic and self defeating attitude their problems will never go away.
Update: 9:05pm
I read about this a few days ago but here is CNN Anderson Cooper in his own words. Feckless Filipino government.
God helps those who help themselves. The will to live is a gift from God. It is encouraging to see how many people will rally to the call for aid. Just the other day, my friend gave 2 dollars when approached and he felt so pleased that he had done his part. Perhaps his is a stronger act than just praying but God knows where the money so collected go to. How many are exploiting the plight of the victims to enrich themselves is a question many seldom ask. Maybe the prayer we have to say is to ask for discernment as to whether we are really giving to the needed ones or enriching the coffers of some.
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