By Jonathon “Bizz” Brown

Our world houses over six billion people, in approximately 200 countries, consisting of countless nationalities, religions, agendas and varying priorities. Indeed it is a fragmented social climate for much of the time. Special interest groups, unions, protesters, armies, peace keepers, arms dealers, farmers, caregivers, tribal elders, community leaders, celebrities, teachers, therapists etc… There are lots of competing narratives. And with so many issues holding importance for different groups, sometimes the idea of a collective humanity sinks into the quicksand.

With Haiti’s tragic, devastating circumstances, the world is remembering the humanity that is our collective foundation. The idea that we, as human beings, are distinct from all other beings on this earth. The realization that our six billion people were born of the 5,4,3,2,1 billion people before them. The concept that the many pieces of our modern world, however opposed, remain under the umbrella of our global community. The momentum of an energy deep inside each of us that is intrinsically dependent on humanities well being. This all has come to light with the outpouring of support and emotion for the earthquake victims in Haiti. It came five years ago for the tsunami and a year after that for Katrina and thankfully it is resonating within many of us once again.

So with all the death, politics, logistics, critical analysis and missed opportunities we will continue to hear about from Haiti, I believe The Fine Print at this time is to center ourselves in the notion of humanity. Let this manifest itself in you however you see fit. But do not ignore it, embrace it. Acknowledge the specifics of this tragedy, but always remember what powers those specifics – the part of each of us that cares about humanity.

Bless.

That’s The Fine Print