By now, we all know about the natural disaster that has killed untold thousands in South-East Asia, and while the tragedy remains fresh in our collective consciousness, it seems useful to reflect on how lucky we are to be here and how most of our problems pale in comparison to those impacted by this catastrophe.

The same tragedy could never happen here on such a grand scale.

After a tsunami that killed 165 people in Hawaii in 1946, the pacific rim countries installed and maintain a warning system that would give people on land as much as two hours notice of an incoming tsunami.

Is there one for the Indian Ocean? No. Was the threat of a tsunami any less severe there? No.

While natural disasters can strike anywhere, we in the developed world are far better equipped to handle them. We have the money and the resources, but they do not.

OK so after the warning system sounds, what’s next? In all likelihood, some degree of panic ensues, the roadways out of town get jammed, and most people are still stuck close to where they live.

But unlike many of the houses that lie close to the water in underdeveloped countries, ours are not made of bamboo and reeds with thatched roofs.

Forget the fact that in a tsunami, these houses are toast — imagine living in one every day. Imagine no indoor plumbing and going to the bathroom in the same place that you get your water. Imagine not being able to heat your home in winter and cool it in summer. And we complain when our rooms here are too warm?

So the wave hits the shore, and certainly some houses crumble and some people die, but not entire communities. The McDonald’s would probably stay open, and we’d still be able to turn on the lights in our homes.

We’d still be able to drink the water that came out of the tap and not have even more die on account of a lack of potable water. We wouldn’t have to beg for relief from other countries, who then respond by donating what amounts to a fraction of a fraction of a percent of their wealth.

We are helping. There has already been more than a billion dollars raised by the entire world, but such numbers can be deceiving. On a per capita basis, the United States is giving a mere dollar and some cents per citizen while other countries are giving more than $10 per citizen.

One such country is Kuwait. The Kuwaitis are currently giving $10 million, which equals $10.53 per citizen of their 950,000. And they are worried that they are not giving enough.

Kuwaitis realize that the world is more connected than it may seem. They realize that the people in these affected countries make many of the clothes we wear and the technological products that we use.

For whatever reason we give — guilt, shame, empathy, sympathy — the important part is that we do give. If you decide to take back that new sweater, buy one on sale and give the difference to bring potable water to orphans in Sri Lanka, fine.

The important part is that we realize how lucky we are and give back some of the wealth that these people are not fortunate enough to have.

Joseph Stalin once said that one death was a tragedy, while a million deaths is a statistic. Let’s prove him wrong.

Nick Fram is an RA in Donner and a double major in international relations and history. E-mail him at ndfram@stanford.edu.