I remember reading a newspaper article in December 2004 written by a reporter covering the aftermath of the tsunami that hit Southeast Asia.  He made the statement that his job was to connect stories to the number of casualties so that readers would have an understanding of the devastation.  He definitely did his job well, because after reading his article I felt a compulsion to go.  I realized it was a significant moment in global history, and I wanted to be a part of it.   I didn’t necessarily believe that I would make an impact on these people, but I wanted to respond somehow. 

 

Five years later I’m still remembering this journalist.  His words usually come to mind whenever I have the temptation to dismiss a story with low-numbered casualties.  Today I’m reminded of him as I write an essay explaining why I’m a good candidate for a program in economic development.  I think in my studies in psychology, and now possibly in economics, one duty will still remain; connecting the human story to numbers.  To effectively use statistics it is important to be mindful they quantify the human experience and those humans are people too.

A couple of days ago I was talking to one of the teens from the teen center and she commented that she didn’t think "it was fair that we eat animals because they can’t eat us."  She knew they can eat us, but she meant in the sense that there isn’t a fair fight.  I answered her by saying .. "humans have dominion over the earth, and that is how order is maintained, blah blah blah" She refused to agree with my reasoning and at the end of the conversation I was tired. I was tired of refuting teenage logic that is often presented with the utmost certainty and ignorance.

Later that night, as I was meditating on how annoying teenagers are and how I am sick of my job, I was humbled. I realized that God must experience the same thing except multiplied by milleniums. How many times over the course of history have people spoken their new ideas with arrogance as they believe they’re the first one to ever proclaim such wisdom. He must just look down at earth, smack his forehead sometimes and think, "huh, i never heard THAT one before…"