GoFuckYourself.com - Adult Webmaster Forum - View Single Post - What's the most humbling/sobering moment of your life?

swedguy · 04-24-2005, 06:12 AM

It was 2 days after the Tsunami disaster.

When the Tsunami hit the coast I could not get myself to do anything but to think of the people down there. I tried to arrange a flight down there. I called Red Cross in all the affected countries, contacted all the affected embassies and told them that if they need help, just let me know. I did everything I could think of, but I couldn't get anything to fall through.

When 2 days had passed it was like someone had punched me in the stomach, I was supposed to have been there. Me and 2 other friends had planned a kayaking trip from Malaysia to Burma, but late last summer we had to postpone it due to an unfortunate incident. For a long time I couldn't move, I was supposed to have been ON the ocean when the wave would've come. Wouldn't be much left of us today, if we were there.

Short after that the Sri Lankan embassy got back to me and said they needed help. So I dropped everything and got on a 9 hour bus trip on New Years Eve. I stayed with them for ~1 week and it was incredible. We packed 50 containers filled with clothes, tents, medical supplies and everything else they would need. Being there and putting it in boxes knowing that a person in need would use this, that was true joy. Lots of tears were shed.

After a week I had to go home to take care of a business issue and when I was sitting on the bus, I got my second punch in the stomach. A business issue? It was nothing where people would die if I didn't take care of it, but a day earlier I had felt that it was more important than people in need. I felt like shit. Two days later they called from the embassy again and I was really happy that I got to go up there again. After less than a week up there they closed down the aid shipments since we didn't have anything more to send.

I met so many people up there that had the same goal, help people in need. Heard so many stories from people that had just come home from SE Asia, some where the whole group didn't come home. I got invited to the embassy for a dinner too and listen to stories from the Chargé d'affair and the rest of the embassy people.

That was a life changing experience. Helping other people gives your own life so much more meaning than anything else that you can buy. I have always known and felt that way, but I've never felt it as strongly as after that.
So my goal now is to work for 8 months and volunteer somewhere in the world for 3-4 months.

04-24-2005, 06:12 AM
swedguy Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,981	It was 2 days after the Tsunami disaster. When the Tsunami hit the coast I could not get myself to do anything but to think of the people down there. I tried to arrange a flight down there. I called Red Cross in all the affected countries, contacted all the affected embassies and told them that if they need help, just let me know. I did everything I could think of, but I couldn't get anything to fall through. When 2 days had passed it was like someone had punched me in the stomach, I was supposed to have been there. Me and 2 other friends had planned a kayaking trip from Malaysia to Burma, but late last summer we had to postpone it due to an unfortunate incident. For a long time I couldn't move, I was supposed to have been ON the ocean when the wave would've come. Wouldn't be much left of us today, if we were there. Short after that the Sri Lankan embassy got back to me and said they needed help. So I dropped everything and got on a 9 hour bus trip on New Years Eve. I stayed with them for ~1 week and it was incredible. We packed 50 containers filled with clothes, tents, medical supplies and everything else they would need. Being there and putting it in boxes knowing that a person in need would use this, that was true joy. Lots of tears were shed. After a week I had to go home to take care of a business issue and when I was sitting on the bus, I got my second punch in the stomach. A business issue? It was nothing where people would die if I didn't take care of it, but a day earlier I had felt that it was more important than people in need. I felt like shit. Two days later they called from the embassy again and I was really happy that I got to go up there again. After less than a week up there they closed down the aid shipments since we didn't have anything more to send. I met so many people up there that had the same goal, help people in need. Heard so many stories from people that had just come home from SE Asia, some where the whole group didn't come home. I got invited to the embassy for a dinner too and listen to stories from the Chargé d'affair and the rest of the embassy people. That was a life changing experience. Helping other people gives your own life so much more meaning than anything else that you can buy. I have always known and felt that way, but I've never felt it as strongly as after that. So my goal now is to work for 8 months and volunteer somewhere in the world for 3-4 months.