[catastrophe] now what time does the film start

Nourishing lunch

What does the following news do to you on a Monday morning whilst you’re briskly getting ready for work?

The Red Cross has sent out an urgent plea for water, food and medicine today as Philippine officials said more than 1000 people were dead or missing after mudslides swallowed up whole villages. The Government's National Disaster Coordinating Centre confirmed 425 dead from the mudslides around Mayon volcano trigged by super typhoon Durian rains. It listed a further 599 people as missing in the same eastern region of Bicol.

I asked a lady about this once while we were finishing lunch, prior to going to a matinee – not this particular disaster, of course, another one – and she replied, ‘Yes, shocking, isn’t it? One more tea before we go?’

To which I replied something along the lines of, ‘That’s 1000 people dead, you know. 1000.’

‘Yes, it’s terrible the things which happen in the world,’ and by now she was looking at me strangely. ‘James, when’s the film start?’

‘It's easy to see them as statistics, rather than as people, isn't it?’ I mused.

‘Who?’

‘The 1000 who died.’

Slightly exasperated, she muttered, ‘Well why don’t you go and help them, if you feel that way. Look, they’re there and we’re here. I feel terrible but what can we do? Is there some Bandaid concert or something? How much do they need?’

‘12:30.’

‘Pardon?’

‘12:30. The film starts at 12:30, so we’ve forty five minutes. We’d best get a move on.’

[She did later contribute a sizable donation, to be fair and followed the story in the papers until the papers lost interest.]