I'm old enough to remember the news coverage of the Vietnam War as well as the protests of that conflict, including the tragedy at Kent State. What I recall most vividly was the profound impact that coverage - especially the visuals of dead American soldiers, horrified Vietnamese citizens and police officers battling college students - had on my family, friends, neighbors and coworkers.

No longer just descriptions printed in a newspaper or read in a monotonous tone by a television anchor, these graphic images were now in our faces and seared into our brains, where the undeniable horror of the war and its ramifications stayed and festered. Whatever the opinion of each American about that war, seeing such graphic human pain and suffering left a profound impact on all but the most uncaring and insensitive.

I thought about this while watching the news reports of the devastation caused in Haiti when an earthquake struck that tiny island nation in January. If fate were fair, Haiti would be the last country to endure such a natural disaster. The poorest nation in the western hemisphere, Haiti was ill-prepared to handle the devastation. Almost as quickly as news coverage poured out of the country, aid poured in - beginning first as a trickle, but developing into a steadier stream as the days and weeks passed.

Despite the best efforts of some members of the international community, more Haitians died than were necessary and more children became orphans because medical and other care could not get through the rubble or red tape in time.

As the days from the initial reports passed, I watched the story get elbowed from the public consciousness by other "news": Tiger Woods' infidelity, John Edwards' admission that he fathered a child out of wedlock, the late night television wars between NBC, Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno. And, of course, there was the NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl win by the Saints of New Orleans (from another region that had the national news spotlight on it just a few years ago, but now sees little attention except when its football team is playing well).

Now, I'm not advocating that we should be consumed over concern by every disaster to the point where we are obsessed with human suffering and, consequently, lose the ability to laugh or enjoy life. But I do wonder about balance. For example, when Haiti recovers from the earthquake, it will remain a poverty-stricken country, only more so. When Conan O'Brien left "The Tonight Show," he had a check in his pocket for at least $30 million. Yet I heard an almost equal number of people tell me they felt sorry for O'Brien as those who told me they prayed for Haiti.

I wonder if we have lost, or at least have anesthetized, our sense of balance when it comes to deciding what is really important. Have we become so accustomed to seeing death and destruction that we've become numb to it? I also wonder how this affects those whose work in health care puts them daily on the front lines of human struggle and suffering. If you work in a hospice or you routinely treat patients or deal with families who cannot avoid hearing bad news, how do you maintain a balance between that agony and the ecstasy of seeing others get well? How do you control emotions you feel every day that most other people pray they never have to confront even once in a lifetime?

I have no answer, only the questions. But I will add that, when I think about the constant commitment of those in the health care profession to helping their fellow man - a commitment all the more demonstrated by those whose immediate instinct to the crisis in Haiti was to board the first plane to the island to render assistance any way possible - I am proud to be a part of our industry, even in so modest a way as publishing this newspaper. At least it gives me an opportunity to salute you, and to offer my prayers that you always are able to keep your life in balance.

Harvey D. Kartt