Compos Mentis

New Orleans

Sometimes I'm glad that the words we say don't accurately reflect our thoughts. I don't think we could handle it if we could articulate all the complex thoughts running around in our heads. Sometimes, as time passes, the words change but the feelings remain the same, but if we could express at one go the whole of our thought, it would be more than we could handle.
I've been hitting the 'next blog' button of blogger.com, and, unsurprisingly, I find a lot of blogs with people's opinions on Hurricane Katrina. I wonder sometimes whether people ever reflect upon what they say at all. So many things I read make no rational sense, but as they are accompanied by strong emotion (as they should!) they have weight and power to influence not only the person's own action but the actions of everyone around them.
I read blogs saying that the hurricane was the wrath of God upon a sinful populace. Was the tsunami in southeast Asia also the wrath of God? I heard no such claims then. Who are we to say what is the wrath of God and what is not? Did not God promise to stay his destruction over Sodom and Gommorah for the sake of ten righteous, and failing that, saved the only righteous family in the city anyway? God's wrath is not the vengeful, destructive force that some people make it out to be. We have to realize that there are things in nature that happen on their own power. Storms, even killer storms have happened before, but we get to claim this one as God's wrath because it was strong and hit a more populated area?
I see other people who are wondering why New Orleans and the federal government were not more prepared for the destruction. They don't consider that we have never dealt with this kind of tragedy before, and until disaster actually strikes, the mindset is that such things could never happen. We can consider events happening in our mind, but this is not the same as actually believing in our core that disaster can strike. All humans are programmed to believe in their own invincibility and accurate assessments.
to New Orleans, our prayers are with you.
to the rescue workers down in the city, our prayers are with you.
to those who have lost loved ones, our prayers are with you.

posted by Emmett @ 09:44