Right Intention

I tell people that my three week trip to Haiti was good for the soul, but I'm now having issues with that statement. It sounds as if I am recommending that people should go to Haiti for their own personal fulfillment or enlightenment, placing the needs of the earthquake victims a distant second to one's own ego. This is clearly not desirable and seems to contradict the Buddhist Eight-Fold Path, Right Intention.

I spoke with a freelance photographer while I was there and she claimed that her goal was to return to the civilized world all but naked, both physically and emotionally. In other words, she planned to give away all of her clothes, luggage, money, and other possessions that she brought with her save for her camera and the most basic attire that would allow her to travel back to the United States. Emotionally she wanted to give completely and wholly of herself until she had nothing left to give, at which point she would board a plane heading home. I stood there amazed at the dedication of this one person, her commitment to help the people of Haiti If you asked the question, What would Jesus or Buddha do...? Yea, that would be it.