Tragedy or Statistic?

30,000 children die in poverty every day? 30,000? Children?

While listening to today’s radio installment of “Speaking of Faith,” I was struck by this statistic. Different words strike different people. As a mom this is unfathomable to me. If another tsunami hit or another terrorist struck, obliterating 30,000 people in one place, the generosity of the American people would be heard in such overwhelming chords.

That’s one of the greatest problems; these poor children do not die together in one space. If they did their plight could be ignored no longer. As when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, we the American people could not turn a deaf ear nor a blind eye to the devastation. For once, the “in your face” media attention had a striking purpose: to strike us all square in the face, heart and pocketbook to DO something.

But these poor ones are spread out all over. They are born, they suffer, enduring their hunger and illness relatively alone, and then they die. When this happens they become the “statistic.” Since when has the death of a hungry child been demoted from detestable tragedy to statistic?

I’m one person - one busy mom before Christmas. My “to do” list is just as long as every other lucky American mom’s. I almost wrote “every American Mom,” but stopped myself because that is not so. There are so many moms out there who are not scrambling to buy presents for their children that their children don’t really need. There are moms out there who are struggling to put a box of macaroni and cheese on their table for dinner.

We “lucky” moms must do something about this. Give to those Salvation Army bell ringers. Give to your church. Give to that homeless shelter. Go through all those clothes that your own children have long outgrown. It’s the beginning of a cold winter in many parts of our country. Cold children become sick children. Sick children die.

Statistic or tragedy? The spin you put on it shall dictate the way you respond.

~Maureen Locher