When Nature Strikes
With hurricane Harvey having passed around, and reading some of the experiences of people in what has transpired I started to ask myself some questions.
When it was announced that a hurricane would be on its way, people made preparations. People evacuated, some more luckily situated didn't leave their homes for a couple of days and people stopped going to work. It reminded me of my own experience with severe storms (but not as extreme as a hurricane) or lengthy power outages where sometimes days on end you can't get to doing your job and you are simply forced to go with the circumstances. When natural disaster strikes, we don't fuss about our jobs, the entertainment were not getting to or other petty topics which seem to busy our heads any other day. What's important is to be alive and well. For a moment, the capitalistic productivity machine stops running, because well, we have no other choice.
In the meantime though, when no major natural disasters are occurring, we do sit with chronic human-made disaster. Poverty, war, disease, animal and nature extinction, climate change. These are all a reality. And these conditions greatly undermine human, animal and nature well being. But it's not happening in our backyard. Harvey was all over our backyard, all around the house for that matter. No escaping from that disaster. These other issues, well, they’re far away. They're not my concern. I have a choice to not be concerned. I can keep going with my life, however unsatisfactory and regrettable it may be in the end.
Thing is, we decide whether we have a choice or not. We can decide that human made disasters are just as important emergencies needing our immediate attention. That for the wellbeing of others on the other side of the world, or even on the other side of town - we put a stop to all things non essential. That we collectively agree to continue tending to the essentials necessary for our wellbeing and living a dignified life. Having food, shelter, security. And that all non-essential pursuits are put on a halt - because others are having to survive in conditions that do not even provide the basic essentials. Yet we will spend 70% of our time chasing money, status and material wealth while others suffer. If someone had a luxury boat, a freaking Noah’s Ark steering around flooded neighbourhoods and saw people drowning and yet did nothing. You'd be angry, you’d be outraged. Because the blunt neglect is right in our faces. Yet, much of the industrial world is like a Noah’s Ark. We got lots of resources to go around, but it's not being shared. It's not being distributed.
Where there is a will there is a way. If we decide that our will is to no more have choice about these matters, and tackle them with the urgency they deserve, this world would transform very quickly.
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Originally posted on my personal blog here
Where there is love there is life.
- Mahatma Gandhi
Since I'm not affected, my point of view doesn't hold much water (no pun intended). I'm not sure what I would do but I hope that I would be one of the sharing. I see some people reaching out to those in need and lending a hand. It gives me some pleasure. I also see people not sharing but I don't immediately take the position that they are bad because I don't know their personal circumstance. For example, if someone is shown not sharing their water, they might have 10 people at home that they are getting the water for. I must reserve judgement until I understand all the facts. I am truly sorry for your loss.