When tragedy strikes, the jolt to our humanity can be overwhelming — our sorrow and disbelief paralyzing.  But after the initial shock and sadness, that same humanity kicks into action, looking for any way possible to help those affected by catastrophe.  We are seeing this play out right now in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that has leveled Haiti.

The strength of the human spirit is seldom more visible than at times like these.  We want to help those in need any way we can.  And we want those in need to know that they are not alone — that we care about them because we are like them, even if we don't look like them, or sound like them. Even when we are preoccupied with everyday life, that basic human connection is always within us.  And when the time calls for it to appear, we don't want anything to get in its way — we can't afford it to get in our way.

The horror of the earthquake brought the world's compassion to the people of Haiti.  We all want to help because we see what is happening.  We were able to quickly donate money via mobile devices by sending text messages.  And we did so — one text at a time, $10 at a time — to the remarkable tune of $10M in the first hours of the tragedy. People with family in Haiti could use social networks to find information, and to comfort each other by sharing pictures and stories.  And those of us, fortunate enough not to have friends and family in peril, used these same networks to comfort those who do.

The tragedy of Haiti brought people of the world together.  Social media and mobile technology allowed us to do so quickly, and more expansively than ever before.  We didn't have to concentrate on the donation process to give, we just sent text messages.  That allowed us to focus on people and their needs, not the process.  And this is the positive power these tools can have on us.  They can remove the obstacles in our path when we need to extend our human connection at times of great importance.  It can help us relay our feelings, concerns, emotions and needs in ways unimaginable not too long ago.  We can immediately express our humanity without boundaries — physical or emotional.

There are so many lessons we can take from the horrific developments Haiti is faced with. We know the human spirit is awesome and inspirational. We know people do care tremendously about those in need.  And we know the best use of technology and social media is to remove obstacles standing in the way of our human connection — to make it easier for us to be human, and to share our humanity. 

It's important for us not to hide behind technology, but use it to better understand each other's needs.  It can be tempting to substitute technology for a personal connection.  Being human can be tough, and time consuming, and gut-wrenching, and taxing, and many other things.  And there are times and instances where we do need to utilize technology to make better decisions, and to get things done quickly and less expensively.  We even need it to figure out which relationships to concentrate our limited resources on.  But our focus should always be on people, not technology. This has never been more evident than at times like these.

The strength of the human spirit is more powerful than the most destructive earthquake, hurricane or other natural disaster.  You can't automate it, and technology can't replicate it.  So let's use these great tools and services to strengthen our relationships to each other.  Let's use them in times of tragedy and triumph… to turn times of tragedy into triumph. And also to let the people of Haiti know that we're with them.  It's what Martin Luther King would have wanted us to do.

Thank you.