Sometimes we are so caught up in our own lives that we often forget that there is a whole world out there. We have mortgages to pay, children to tend to, work deadlines to meet. Indeed, it takes nothing short of a tsunami to remind us that there are bigger things in life which need ... no ... demand, our attention.

The Dec 26 tsunami that claimed more than 150,000 lives from a slew of Asian countries was truly the most colossal disaster in living memory.

It's hard for those not personally touched by the calamity to really feel the pain and suffering of those who have lost their loved ones.

Days before the tsunami lashed our shores, my mother died of a massive stroke. It was a tragic personal lost. She was with me one day, gone the next - never to return again. Ever.

It is the same for those whose loved ones were suddenly swallowed by the sea. I cried for them as I had cried for my mom. And I'm not alone. Around the world, a sea of humanity has in recent weeks demonstrated its goodwill by selflessly donating to the tsunami relief efforts.