With WK “Big Kenny” Alphin and Dr. Randy Wykoff, I am launching #Conversation2015, a look at the opportunities we have to make dramatic changes through compassion and caring. Read the introduction to the project here and the overview of natural disasters here. Then join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook: #Conversation2015

Natural disasters are a threat in and of themselves, and my friends and I have all witnessed first hand the destruction caused by hurricanes, earthquakes with tsunamis, and famine. As a society we are good at reactionary assistance – sending in the dollars and aid workers after the disaster strikes.

But many disasters are slow to occur and all disasters in an unprepared community – one with the issues of clean water and poverty to begin with – will wreak infinitely more havoc than they would on a well established community.

When an earthquake hits Haiti, when flooding overruns Bangladesh, or when famine starves the Horn of Africa, the impact is often magnified because of the challenging conditions in which the people were living before the disaster struck.

Lack of food, lack of economic opportunity, lack of education—all contribute to a much worse impact from any natural or man-made disaster. These are the “slow motion” disasters—just as devastating, but taking place over a longer period of time.

Can we as a society respond to both the “fast” and “slow” disasters with the same level of compassion and commitment?