Tragedy is always a personal thing

Ever since typhoon Ondoy hit the Philippines last Saturday, news about it have been popping up in Facebook. People have been sharing news and information regarding flooded areas, how to help, videos and pictures on what happened. Ondoy is lucky. It hit Metro Manila, one of the more densely populated areas in the Philippines and it got a lot of media coverage. It was also the highest rainfall recorded since 1967 but the fact that Metro Manila was hit also helped. People were uploading videos and pictures taken from camera phones and other hand held devices. Everyone was aware of what happened.
What you really can't erase from Facebook is the constant updates from Farmville, Mafia Wars, Castle Age, Restaurant City... Yes, people in the Philippines still play these games and they do post items not Ondoy related.
Ondoy is a disaster, yes. But is it something that everyone should focus on 24/7... No.
Unfortunately, disasters are not always considered as a tragedy by all. Though hundreds of thousands of people may be affected, you cannot expect everyone to react the same way you do. Just because you are helping out does not make the person posting about Sesame Street or Farmville less affected. Just because your house is flooded does not mean everyone has to feel sorry for you. People living in Cainta, Marikina and Pasig should be happy they still have houses, if not, they should be happy that they are alive. This disaster affects us in different ways.
I'm just reacting because a friend of mine was angry for all the non Ondoy related posts. I get that his house is probably flooded but the fact that he can still post in Facebook is already a plus. Some people have relatives who died. We Filipinos have close family ties and I'm sure, most of us have families or friends that have been affected.
Tragedy is personal. It is not something that can be shared. To the people who share my friend's anger, I understand you. However you also have to understand other people. Don't expect people to be sad just because you are. You can lose everything in the world but you can never expect them to feel the same way you do.
To cite an example, when my baby died, I was devastated. My family was devastated. My friends and relatives in Facebook all knew that fact but that did not stop them from posting pregnancy or baby news in their wall. Even if they knew I could see it. I don't know if it's just me but for me, back then, that bordered on insensitivity. I knew they were happy but they didn't have to shove it in my face. What could I do? Nothing. Stop reading Facebook posts and just play games.
Life's like that it seems and I learned abut it the hard way. I hope everyone else does too. Maybe the world wouldn't need another Ondoy like tragedy to remind us that we need to accept people and help them when they need it.

Year of Tragedy

I have been waiting for a while to post this. Personally, I believe this year, 2009, should be called the "Year of Tragedy". I didn't wish it but I felt that other people will also be affected by this. No one is going to come out of this year unscathed. I just wish that everyone will be able to recover.