Disaster Repair

Today’s post is meant to be a tribute.

With the many things that we find aggravating and the many things we find annoying, sometimes we tend to forget how incredibly difficult life can generally be. And how many of us are suffering.

With all the natural disaster-type events we are seeing, we need to remember the victims. Long-term. We wouldn’t be so quick to complain about minutia in our lives, if any one of us had recently lost someone special, or everything we own.

It would be easy to start with covid. So many were affected, and so many lost their lives over this. But we won’t soon forget about covid..

Whereas, we’ve already forgotten about the victims of the natural meteorologic disasters we’ve experienced in the last five years.

I would like to recognize and acknowledge these people.

There were scores of earthquakes around the world. But as I am focused on our own country, we did experience very strong earthquake activity in the Caribbean. Together with the monumental tropical storms they’ve had, I don’t feel as if they will ever recover. The poverty and the corruption down there are virtually impossible to overcome. Meanwhile, the people suffer. Still.

I would also like to remember those of us that are victims of poisonous water supplies. Sabotage of municipal systems is the next looming terroristic threat, and our water systems are prime targets. But we already have Flint Michigan – sabotaged by their own leaders! And there are more cities you don’t hear about. Lots of them. Serious water conditions, poisoning people, and the problem is going to get worse as time goes on. Especially for children. Billions of dollars are needed to replace old pipes. Most cities do not have that kind of money, and those people will continue to suffer.

And while many of us don’t consider the effects of a drought as a natural disaster, water shortages stand to become a world-wide concern, upon which wars will be waged. Suffice it to say, farmers with no water will be as big a problem, as will millions of people that are used to having fresh water for daily usage. No food. No water. World-wide.

Tornadoes happen more often than we realize. Tornadoes that strike without warning, in heavily populated areas, wipe out entire towns. Folks that rebuild, are often hit again by these vicious twisters. We frequently forget these poor souls that have lost every single thing they own.

The storms and the flooding. Whenever we get these storms with destructive winds, or these massive ‘thousand year’ floods, who among us is not sickened? The overriding affect of all this devastation, is the homelessness, and financial ruin, left in its wake.

I wonder after a year, what has happened to all these displaced people. I wonder how many of them will fall through the cracks.

Wildfires in America have gotten so bad that fire season basically never ends. Especially out on the west coast. However this weekend I was made aware of a forest fire on the east coast, in New York state. I don’t know the circumstances of the fire - what the cause was, or under what situation was this fire burning - was it climate-caused, a lack of land maintenance, or man made. But few would argue that the devastation caused by these fires is pure hell on earth. My heart bleeds for people affected by fire.

And on the subject of uncontrollable heat… I look at us today, and watch, how even those of us that understand the science and research behind climate change, seem to be trying to ignore the inevitability of the thing. There is nothing we can do to fix this. People are already dying. The trajectory of the rising heat statistics, is irrefutable.

If you can ignore the planet as it warms, you aren’t watching the news. But then I don’t blame you. Bad news is so very hard to face.

And finally, to all of us who went up against something big, or important, and lost. And especially those that did the work, fought the fight, but lost unjustly. A disaster perhaps not ‘natural’, but a disaster none-the-less.

My experience tells me that for most of us, life gets harder. Not easier. They don’t warn us, and they should.

For all the disaster and all the trauma. Not only is life more difficult than we are told, but it seems to be getting more and more so, as time passes. For all of us.

I’m not inclined to ignore the realities of life. But I am inclined to laugh (if I can) instead of cry. I focus on moving forward, and on trying to find what good there is. I don’t look to blame anyone. I accept that my life isn’t great, but I enjoy that which there is to enjoy. I find if I get over what’s passed, and focus on recovery, I don’t waste precious time wondering why it happens to me. I’m aware ‘it’ happens to everybody, and others are suffering too.

To those that are affected, we don’t know what to do or say to you. I wish there were some way, other than words, to show that we think of you and care about you.

I especially sympathize, because I’m sure I would have no way to recover from any of it. I am in awe of the strength it requires, to make it to the other side.

Our strength in the face of disaster, is all we have. We lean into it and we make it through.

Still… even in writing a blog post about it, I don’t feel that we can do enough. I can’t find a way to help. Or show support.

But I haven’t, and won’t, forget you.