By Jeremy Elwood

Oh, Hone, Hone, Hone.

Come on, man. In a fortnight marked by people doing extraordinary things, going out of their way and in many cases their comfort zones to do that little bit extra to help, you’ve managed to steer us away from the only real story of the month and back to you by failing to do the only thing that is really expected of you.

Despite the fact that you no longer have a party to represent, you are still an elected Member of Parliament, and as thus your only real job is to turn up, and vote.

This is particularly relevant when the vote in question is on your political raison d’être, the issue which has driven you into politics and out of the Maori Party.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the “what human beings are capable of” scale, a few specific faces are becoming touchstones of the Christchurch Earthquake.

This is in many ways a very human response – unable to really comprehend the scale of an overall event, we focus on individuals as a way of putting a face to an issue, whether it be in an attempt to lighten the mood, inspire emotion or just provide an outlet for any number of emotions.

Jeremy the Sign Language Guy has captured the hearts (or at least Facebook eyes) of thousands, be it for his looks, his efficiency or for the fact that he’s taught most of us the hand sign for “Buggered.”

Ahsei Sopoaga, better known to most YouTube viewers as “Incredi-Bro” went from a video star to a true exemplar of humble heroism in the space of a single interview.

His generosity of body and spirit have put a human face on the nameless hundreds who responded immediately by helping total strangers.

Of those who have responded since Feb 22^nd, from all over the world, the most immediate who spring to mind are the UC Student Volunteer Army.

I was privileged to be able to do a show for them last Friday, and just arriving at the carpark outside Canterbury University’s Ngaio Marsh Theatre to find a M.A.S.H.-like scene – giant tent, a seemingly endless line of wheelbarrows and shovels, a line of food vendors and masseurs – was moving enough, before you even take stock of the hundreds of young people who, at that point, had spent ten full days doing hard labour for free.

One source tells me that at minimum wage, had they been getting it, their contribution alone was worth over $200,000 per day. Next time someone wants to take a swing at students and youth, or mess with their payrates or loan interest, they might want to remember that figure.

There are too many others to mention here, from Search and Rescue teams to the rural volunteers sending lunch by helicopter to the ordinary folk nationwide dipping into their hearts and pockets to help out.

Even inanimate objects have played a part – “Rocky” the boulder has raised $60,000, and Bob Parker’s Parka (or at least a replica of it) may end up doing the same. (To my mind, both the stone and the jacket have been more helpful, and have more right to free publicity, than Ken “MoonMan” Ring, but that’s another story.)

In simple terms, over the last fortnight we have witnessed the depths and heights of the human experience, the concurrent fragility and strength of our existence.

They all make something as easy as doing our jobs, facing our routines without complaint, or even turning up for a vote seem like literally the least any of us could do.