By Susan Ellis of Keylifejourneys

Blogsters and newspaper columnists have waxed poetically about the credit crisis being caused by an ethos of greed, selfishness and egotism. A shift in consciousness is occurring as many no longer want to be attached to the beliefs, attitudes and mores of a society that condones such behaviour. There is a revolt against people in power who use power for their own gain. Social media sites allow for the instant mobilization of grass roots rage. The world has changed. There maybe an uprising of rage, but there is also an uprising of hope.

If greed, selfishness and egotism painted the image of the first decade of the 21st century, let Haiti's crisis be our opportunity to focus on changing a world in crisis. What happens to Haiti is about us. Haiti is us. We are Haiti. It is no longer about them and us, the haves and the have nots. We are all one. Those who have been crushed to death, who lie injured, who are starving and thirsty - they are our neighbours.

The 911 destruction directly effected people of commerce and those who were trying to rescue them. The earthquake in Haiti froze in time a microcosm of the whole world. Homes, schools, businesses, hospitals were destroyed: The international community was there dying also. All around the world families wait to hear from lost relatives. At the time of writing over 600 Canadians are still missing. The lucky ones are air lifted out. But many want to stay. They were there trying to build Haiti before the earthquake came. A country lost before the earthquake, victim of despotic governments and Voodoo beliefs. The UN and the NGOs all were there. Haiti was already in crisis. Now its dead lie in mass anonymous graves. How soon will it be yesterday's story? This is our test.

Today there is an outpouring of money and caring. For lasting change to come we will need to do this for the long term. Do we have the conscious staying power? Are we one family? Are we connected? If we do not learn the lesson Haiti will be our crisis again and again and again.

I think back to Hurricane Katrina and how the poor of New Orleans were abandoned in 2005. Where, in the richest country in the world, the only evacuation plan city leaders had was for people to drive away in their cars. Remember the pictures of pedestrians on highways dying of dehydration in the burning sun. A city forgot that the poor don't have cars.

The world's response to Haiti has been quite different. There is a humanity consciousness at work. Social media sites and text messaging have led to the masses getting involved. We share the joy when someone is found alive. We feel relief when we hear that another mobile hospital has arrived, that clean water is pumping.

When the immediate crisis is over will we be prepared to listen to what the Haitians want from us? Or will we, as in the past, tell them what we think they need. Will we learn from the experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan that just putting a democratically elected government in power does not solve all your problems?  When we know that the country could benefit from industry, will we only look at our own high unemployment figures and see them as taking our jobs? Will our Corporations see a growth market to sell them unrealistic dreams which will once more create the haves and have nots? Will they then move on when a cheaper labour force is found elsewhere? Haiti's fate was created by colonization, slavery and sugar cane. Haiti's future depends on our ability to change our mindset and learn that cooperation, sharing and working together in one world as one family is the life lesson we were put on earth to learn. There is a gift, waiting.