Article November 7, 2005 Issue

HELPING HANDS FOR PAKISTAN

THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

They dig bare-fisted through the rubble. They dig throughout the day and night; beyond all reason they dig with a passion and a determination I can only guess at as photos of them take over my computer screen. They dig for their children and their mothers. They dig barehanded because, in many instances, no one else is there to help, and no equipment is available to do the job more quickly. they dig for survivors of this terrible 7.6 earthquake that rocked a large swath of Asia, killing tens of thousands in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India.

And, on occasion, as they dig, they uncover a life. Here and there, amid all the tragedy, emerges a story with a lifesaving outcome. Shoveling through an avalanche of heartache and misery, they sometimes get there in time. Yes, it is far too rare. But it is happening. And, I think, those instances hint at a powerful spiritual truth sustaining them as they dig.

Would I, if I were there, kneel next to them, dig barehanded myself? Yes, in a hearbeat, I answer to myself. Then I look at my hands, which today, as on most days, face nothing more strenuous than pounding a computer keyboard, and I realize how quickly I'd be useless.

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