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Bad things happen when people work together. Everything goes out of control.

Imagine the possibilities if humanity banded together before disaster struck to relieve everyday suffering worldwide.

In this dangerous world that we live in, where hatred and violence and natural disasters sometimes collide to almost overwhelm us, we each can help in some way.

In my work in Haiti, I've seen the hugely positive effects that happen when people come together to build something in the middle of the most desperate situations.

We have a real role in how our own collective lives, our nation, and our world and society turn out. Seizing those opportunities is important, and disasters are sometimes one of those opportunities.

I always tried to turn every disaster into an opportunity.

Too often, as a global community of humanitarians, we meet the needs of the same families, the same individuals, the same communities crisis after crisis, when we are focused on meeting crisis needs but not on building resilience.

My friends, as I have discovered myself, there are no disasters, only opportunities. And, indeed, opportunities for fresh disasters.

After Katrina, no one was the same. People, relatives, they were dying one after another.

We had had several mine disasters where workers, some of the workers were rescued. It was, you know, who was lucky and who weren't. Some would find the air pockets But, in this one, bam, it was just, everybody was gone and it greatly depressed the state.