Starfish
Happened to be watching Channel News Asia today and chanced upon a documentary entitled "Back to Basics". It talks about how simple discoveries and remedies relating to healthcare and nutrition have changed the lives of people of this planet. One of the case was about an ophthalmologist who, in the course of finding the cure for night-blindness in children of poor countries, discovered that the lack of vitamin A (found in common food like milk and eggs, which people from poor countries often could not afford) made these children more vulnerable to diseases. He also found that by administering a few drops of vitamin A to children twice a year, child mortality rate can be reduced.
However, his discovery was treated with skepticism. Experts just could not believe that the solution was so simple. And when he eventually convinced the medical world of his discovery, he still faced the daunting task of administering vitamin A to millions of impoverished children in poor countries. Although a system was eventually established, how many children had died while skeptics were being convinced and bureaucratic processes were overcome.
Yes, the solution can sometimes be so simple. Vitamin A to prevent night-blindness, Vitamin B3 to prevent Pellagra, Vitamin C to prevent scurvy, present in common food readily available to people like us in developed countries but which are luxuries to people in poor countries.
This reminds me of the upcoming mission trip to Cambodia, our first in 2007. This reminds me of the vitamins that we dish out to the children and adults and visit our mobile clinics, and the kid that would have died if he did not get the drip which cost less than US$1. This reminds me of the starfish.
Remember the story of the starfish? A man saw a boy walking along a beach. Every time the boy saw a starfish stranded on the shore, he picked it up and threw it back to the sea. The man was curious and said to the boy, "There are so many starfish stranded on the shore, and you are just one person. What difference can you make?" The boy held up and starfish he had in his hand and said, "Well, it makes a difference to this one." And promptly threw it back into the sea.
While governments and institutions work out their plans and systems and resources to solve the problem for the entire starfish population, we work on the starfish we can reach.
However, his discovery was treated with skepticism. Experts just could not believe that the solution was so simple. And when he eventually convinced the medical world of his discovery, he still faced the daunting task of administering vitamin A to millions of impoverished children in poor countries. Although a system was eventually established, how many children had died while skeptics were being convinced and bureaucratic processes were overcome.
Yes, the solution can sometimes be so simple. Vitamin A to prevent night-blindness, Vitamin B3 to prevent Pellagra, Vitamin C to prevent scurvy, present in common food readily available to people like us in developed countries but which are luxuries to people in poor countries.
This reminds me of the upcoming mission trip to Cambodia, our first in 2007. This reminds me of the vitamins that we dish out to the children and adults and visit our mobile clinics, and the kid that would have died if he did not get the drip which cost less than US$1. This reminds me of the starfish.
Remember the story of the starfish? A man saw a boy walking along a beach. Every time the boy saw a starfish stranded on the shore, he picked it up and threw it back to the sea. The man was curious and said to the boy, "There are so many starfish stranded on the shore, and you are just one person. What difference can you make?" The boy held up and starfish he had in his hand and said, "Well, it makes a difference to this one." And promptly threw it back into the sea.
While governments and institutions work out their plans and systems and resources to solve the problem for the entire starfish population, we work on the starfish we can reach.
Captain's orders by Parrots of the Currybean at 1:49 AM
1 Comments:
well said. This also reminds me of something Mother Theresa said once. I paraphrase.
Man: "Mother Theresa, there are so many poor children out there in the world. How are you going to help all of them?"
M. Theresa: "One at a time"
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