Musings on Humanity and Katrina

[bookofmirrors]

I'm a little slow to jump on this bandwagon. As usual, this has been hopping around in my head for quite some time, but, y'know, I have to be in a mood to write.

I'm gonna go ahead and

Back when 911 happened, there were a lot of emails and such being circulated, various thoughts on what happened, from various viewpoints - different sides of political, religious, social, and other factions of thought. I remember one more than others. I don't remember where it came from, if it was from a website I'd perused, or from an email that was one of the many that flooded my inbox, or just what. It was from a New Age perspective, and it gave me a lot of hope. It cited these times, and the times ahead, as very trying ones. I don't think it specifically mentioned the "end times", but certainly, that was everyone's mind, then, and now. Pretty much every major religion whose "end times" thoughts I'm aware of, puts us in the end times right now. Kali Yuga. Armageddon. Ragnarok. The Mayan Calendar. Nostradamus. Pick your system, from what I can tell, they're all pretty much in agreement. Lots of shit going down, and this is just the beginning. That's what they're telling us. More on the message of that piece of correspondence later.

I see what's going on in the world. And yeah, my viewpoint is skewed. I don't watch the news much, I don't have my finger on the pulse of our nation, or any other. I personally can't say with any degree of confidence if things are really getting worse, or if it's merely my perception, since more of the shit that goes down all the time in other areas of the world is starting to go down here. Maybe it's the dissemination of information. Maybe national disasters like 911, and the response of the world, with aid, well-wishes, etc. has set the stage for similar aid to go to the victims of the tsunami, soldiers in Iraq, etc.. Maybe this has been going on all along, and I've just started noticing. But, from my perspective, it seems like there is more going on in the world, more that begs for all our efforts, for aid, for love, for coming together. Katrina is just one, and the most recent example.

A transcript from Meet the Press on September 4, 2005, states:
MR. MORIAL: ...This requires a massive undertaking by our government on behalf of our own citizens. These are not, Tim, refugees. Let's not refer to them as refugees. They're citizens. They're survivors.

MR. RUSSERT: Yeah. They're Americans.

MR. MORIAL: They're us.

This is true. And not just Americans. We're all "us". All over the world. The survivors of Katrina. The soldiers in Iraq - on BOTH sides. The survivors of the tsunami. Any survivor. Any oppressed. Pick your pet cause, and add 50 more.

But let me get back to the message I saw after 911. As I said, it was New Age in its viewpoint. It mentioned the end times, and that there was so much more to come. And that those who died in 911, had, on a soul level, done so voluntarily. They chose it, before they were born. Because there was/is/going to be a lot of shit going down. And they were needed on the astral plane, to help guide the energy, help humanity get through these times. And they couldn't do it from Earth. It was something that they had to die to do. Something they were willing to do, happy to do, because it was/is the best way they could help.

This idea gave me much comfort. It said that no one had died in vain. It said that there was a purpose to all this mindlessness. This same thought, this same idea, gives me a modicum of hope in the face of the disasters that followed - the war in Iraq, the tsunami, Katrina, and any number of things I'm ignorant of, which took human (and animal) life.

We had a more generic discussion of this at tc_borderpagans a while back, when I was attending. I was expressing something similar to this viewpoint, on a more personal/global scale. justben pointed out that this was nothing more than the Pagan version of "God has a plan".

He's right, of course. But, since I'm a pantheist, and see the Divine in all of us, I translate that differently.

I have a plan.

We have a plan.

Somehow, somewhere, somebody knows what's going on, and has an idea of where it's going, and that, in the end, it's all gonna be OK. I know this sounds naive, I know it sounds fluffbunny, and maybe it's both of those things, and more.

But it gives me hope. It helps me make sense of what's going on in the world, where I might otherwise despair.

And right now, I need that. We all need that, lest we curl up in a ball and just die, literally or emotionally or spiritually. We need hope, from whatever source we take it, so that we CAN go on, we CAN rebuild. Not necessarily the physical structures that are New Orleans. Honestly, I do wonder why we would do that. It seems cruel to re-create a town in that area, and expect people to live there, work there, vacation there, with constant doom over their heads. Everyone keeps talking about how poor those people were, and I wonder if the relocation they were forced to do won't be, in the end, a blessing in disguise. A new home, a new chance. For someone who started out with little, and now has nothing, the only way to go is up. Maybe relocation is what was needed to give them a boost up.

I don't mean to sound heartless or crass in this. I can't imagine what it must be like to go through what these people have gone through. I can't imagine it at all. And even my wildest imaginings are probably much much paler than the reality. Again, I think these things, say these things, because they give me hope. Because I want better things for those who have lost all they have, and probably feel like they have nowhere to go. I am heartened by the generosity of the cities who have opened their doors to those from the disaster areas. Hell, I think it's pushing it to even call it generosity. There was a need, and they did the human thing. Yes, they should get credit for doing so, but how could they, how could we, have done anything else? The possibility just boggles my mind.

(Please note that I know that these are people we're talking about, and these are their homes. I'm not being so cruel as to say just chalk New Orleans and the other destroyed areas up to failures. I know these were people's homes, and that, even knowing the risks, the past, the probable future, some will choose to go back there, and start over. Such is the nature of the human spirit. I'm just saying that, most of the time, when people get ousted out of their homes for *whatever* reason, there's usually a good reason for it. I'm not advocating one way or the other for building, or not rebuilding, the affected areas. I'm just pointing out there might be a silver lining. That's my hope.)

And yes, I know there are those who are saying that aid is being held back deliberately, for various reasons. There's an article about it from the Daily KOS, a publication I'd never heard of before today. The thought that this might be true (and I'm no fan of governments in general, and Bush in particular... I wouldn't put it past him, in my cynical moments) just boggles my mind. And really, isn't every choice a matter of intention? Funds were allocated elsewhere - that was a choice, and this is the result of that choice. And who can say, under the force of Katrina, if even the levies and whatnot they were lobbying for would have staved off the disaster, would have lessened it much? Whether you choose to blame this administration (at whatever level of government), and the administrations before it, whether or not you cite them with some responsibility for what happened, whether or not you claim malicious intent, or merely ignorance... on some level, humans caused this. It's easy to blame the administration. But we put the administration in office. Sure, I didn't vote for Bush, nor did most of my friends. But nor did I campaign for anyone else. I know people who did.

But be clear on this. I'm not blaming anyone for voting a certain way, not voting a certain way, not voting at all, not lobbying enough, or any other thing that may have possibly put someone else in office. And even if there were someone else in office, who can say what they would have done in response to this - before, during, or after? It's all speculation on anyone's part.

What I am saying is this. We are all responsible for ourselves, for the energy we give out to the world. We all despair, have times of hopelessness, times where we feel like we don't deserve what we have, times when we're just DOWN. Times when we feel like we need to hoarde everything, because we feel like there's just NOT ENOUGH. I'm not blaming anyone for that. It's the human condition right now. And it's sad that it is that way. But, have no doubt, the more we allow ourselves to wallow in that mindset, the more we send that energy out there into the world, the more the Universe is going to reflect that back at us. The more we fear loss, the more we will lose. The more we abuse each other, the more abuse we will receive. I'm pointing the finger at myself here, too. I'm part of humanity, and as much as I'm known for my cheerful and optimistic nature, I despair, too. I have my moments of fear, moments of doubt, moments of hatred. Hell, the more I'm in therapy, the more I see that I have many more of those moments than I've ever been willing to admit.

It makes a difference.

Do I have a solution for this? Not really. It's easy enough to tell people to have a more positive attitude, to tell them to tape affirmations to their mirror, to work on themselves. But how difficult is it to actually DO those things? Much less to do them to the extent that they really make a difference in your life? How difficult to face one's inner demons, to look them in the eye when you've kept them caged up for so long, denying they were there to begin with? How difficult not to defeat them, but to embrace them? To acknowledge them for the sacred parts of you that they are, and by doing so, heal them?

I've committed myself to doing that. I've worked my ass off over the last year, to try to afford classes and therapy that will help me get there. (And yes, there are other ways to do it - this is just what I've chosen as my path to do so.) And I fight it. I fight it hard, just as hard as I fight FOR it. Because it terrifies me. I fear that more than any other thing. And, of course, it's the thing I MUST do, the thing we all must do. It's the only way for us to continue. It's the only way for us to get better. As persons. As people. As humanity. Every choice we make has the so-called Butterfly Effect. So yes, help out where you can. Send money, food, clothing, other goods. Do what you feel you can.

But the real work is within ourselves. rumigrl has a great entry on this, which includes the following:

It's the realization that it's taken our species forever, but we're finally starting to get it. We're finally starting to see that we're all in this game of life together.

This is what disasters should be teaching us. They should be an eye-opening lesson. Take the pain and try to glean something from it. What are you seeing here? What is this painful experience showing you? What have you been missing?

Be committed. Be committed to your planet. Be committed to your community. Be committed to yourself. If you're not happy, ask yourself what would make you happy. Don't fall into the societal drug and stay in a bubble. Start creating with intent. Give out what you want to get back. Help create a better living experience for others, and do whatever it takes. Donate blood. Donate money. Help people less fortunate than you. Be a mentor. Clean out your house of all your old stuff, and give it to places that need it. Do you really need all those books and clothes?

Ask someone how they're doing, and actually mean it. Compliment someone when they're looking particularly nice today. Why don't we do that enough? Why are we so paranoid about giving hugs and compliments and building up people's esteem?

Scream and yell when corporations rip off more of the everyday worker even as said businesses rake in billions. Make a scene. Write letters. March on your country's capital. Whatever it takes.

The only way this world is ever going to change is with direction, and that's only going to happen when enough of us realize that we're all puzzle pieces to the same whole. So hop to it. Because the world's not waiting - Earth can do fine without us, and she'll keep going long after we're gone, if we don't blow her up first.

This is your moment. The present is all we have. Whatever path you choose, commit to it and start moving. We need you.

Yeah. What she said.

And what sunfell said, as a warning, I offer as hope:

If these are the 'end times', let it be the end of greed, corruption, overpopulation, excess, religious supremacy and hubris, and the beginning of genuine community, citizenship, responsible living, and simplicity.

If we do not change course, we will suffer the same fate as the Gulf Coast, only much more slowly and painfully. Look, listen, and learn from what this past week has shown us. We truly are on our own.

We are, ultimately, on our own, inasmuch as each of us, individually, have to do the work. Have to work on ourselves. Have to be the Man in the Mirror. (Note: If Michael Jackson wrote it himself, and has the life he has, it's easy to see how difficult it is to do what that song says, to have such high ideals and to fall so short of them. And don't we all?)

But, in another sense, we're not on our own. We're gloriously connected. If that weren't the case, none of us would give a fuck about anyone in Katrina's wake, none of us would go out of our way to care, to contemplate, to move forward in whatever way we see fit. And despite what bulwerk says about being an asshole 'cause he hasn't donated (much) to the cause, working on one's self IS donating to the cause. It's the harder path, the long-term path, the path that doesn't get you a nice pat on the back. But it's a path we all need to go down, whether we also donate to other things or not. It's not selfish to look to your own house, so to speak. If you have nothing to give, for whatever reason, look within. Work on yourself. It doesn't cost anything to meditate, and the cost of writing in a paper-and-pen journal of self-discovery is minimal. Even this format is fairly doable for most. It doesn't matter what or if you donate. It all starts within. In fact, any donation anyone makes starts from within. They felt they could spare it, and had it in their heart to do so. Not everyone can be the biblical widow that gave her last mite. And that's OK. We don't have to be. Everything has ripples. Every time we choose to feel our feelings rather than stuff them down, every time we choose to exercise rather than lie on the couch, every time we choose to eat vegetables instead of candy, every time we choose to look within rather than project our fears on others... these things cause changes in the world. Every time we make a conscious and loving choice for ourselves, we do it for the world. Hell, even the Bible says this. "If you do this for me, you've done it to the least of my brethren." Me=you=them.

We're all on our own, and we're all in this together. And we have a plan.

Comments

[milwaukeebeers.livejournal.com]

I linked to you from the atlanta, and I have to say that this entry really made me smile. It warms my heart to know that not everyone believes what they see on TV and that everything isn't part of some huge, vast conspiracy. On my cynical days, I'll remember this!

[bookofmirrors.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I always get nervous when I post stuff like that, 'cause it's so far from the norm. So glad the first reaction I got to it is positive.

[elorie.livejournal.com]

I hope you gathered this already, but just in case you didn't...

We NEED that port. It's the largest port in the Western hemisphere. There is a reason there is a city there in the first place, and a reason why it was considered of major strategic importance in the War of 1812, the Civil War, AND World War II (the Germans made a failed attempt to attack it with U-boats).

Bush didn't just fuck up saving people's lives, which was bad enough. He fucked up on the most basic level of governance, by failing to keep our largest, busiest port and the center of the petroleum and natural gas industries safe.

We aren't just little islands. The stuff you buy in the stores, the clothes you wear, the car you drive, the gas you put in it, the food you eat....they didn't just appear there by magic. People put them there. People and shipping and trade and all those things...that's what having a society IS. When you screw with that, you screw everyone.

[bookofmirrors.livejournal.com]

I'm reading more about it, and that does seem to be the case. I didn't have a clear idea of the importance of New Orleans from a financial perspective at the time I wrote this.

It just makes me sick, 'cause I don't trust our government to not fuck it up again - to, once again, prevent flooding half-assed. I don't give the powers that be enough credit to think that they won't just re-create the same situation again, the same lack of concern for the (mostly poor and black, not to mention "sinful") population of the area. I'm afraid rebuilding New Orleans would be a death sentence for all who would choose to live there.

Their choice, of course, and they all knew they were living in an area where that was a possibility, and yeah, the port is important. But damn. I just hate that we'd be knowingly putting people in harm's way.

*sigh* There's no good solution. Yeah, it has to come back. And yeah, we have to deal with the potential consequences of doing so. But... just damn.

[elorie.livejournal.com]

It doesn't have to be as bad as this has been. For one thing, wetlands...which have been diminishing because of over-development...provide natural protection from storm surges (it was that, not the wind, that broke the levee; and if the levee hadn't broken much of the worst of it wouldn't have happened).

The poor Cajuns who live out in the bayous traditionally build their houses up on stilts. Recently houses in the area have been required to be built further off the ground; those houses are in better shape than any of the others.

There's also a level of community that needs to be developed. Some island nations like Jamaica and Cuba...who don't HAVE anywhere to put a city that's not potentially in the path of a hurricane...have a system of community awareness and organized evacuations that account for the fact that some people can't get out on their own, and they consequently tend to have minimal loss of life.

Part of it needs to be respecting the power of nature and not thinking we can tame or overcome it, but realizing we have to adapt to it instead. But I don't expect that kind of humility to come from the God-drunk neocon right.