Tuesday October 30th, 2012 – Fox Lake, IL
Hurricane Sandy drives home the unflinching point yet again just how unpredictable life is and how nothing is guaranteed to any of us. Who would have thought a hurricane of all things would cripple New York City and leave millions of people without electricity throughout several states?
On one hand it’s a total shocker, but on the other I’m surprised stuff like this doesn’t happen on a much more consistent basis. As much as we might not want to admit it as a species Earth is still a wild planet and we aren’t in control as much as we think we are. Mother Nature isn’t our bitch.
We as humans are basically a few billion fleas on the fanny of a celestial dog, and just a couple of well placed shakes can remove us from the equation in a hurry. We aren’t in the position to be cocky and think we actually call the shots, but we totally are. I doubt if this will change anything.
Watching television coverage of it all was very surreal – especially since I was able to look out my window and see calm weather and sunshine. I had power, food to eat and life was transpiring as I’ve grown to expect it. It was hard to believe millions of others had their lives in total chaos.
It didn’t hit home as hard as it probably should have, and I’m grateful it didn’t. If it did, I’d not have been able to watch it on television because my power would be out and I’d be trying to find a way to deal with the situation first hand. It was much better watching it unfold from a distance.
We of the modern age really are spoiled beyond belief. I don’t think we come close to having a real idea of how lucky we truly are to have the access to the convenience and technology that we do. We take it for granted and assume it’s our basic right, and I’m as guilty or more as anybody.
This planet has been around a lot longer than us, and will be here a long time after we’ve been evicted for treating it like a rental car. Events of true awesomeness like this serve to remind us in no uncertain terms exactly who’s in charge, and it isn’t us. We’re just along for a temporary ride.
I heard that only twenty people lost their lives as a direct result of the storm, and that’s nothing less than miraculous. One would think thousands would be vaporized in something so enormous, and in the past that may have been the case. Fortunately, technology has helped make life easier.
Still, the damage appears to be devastating and it will take years to rebuild what was destroyed in less than a day. It reminded me of the ant hills I kicked over as a kid. Those ants worked really hard to get it how they wanted, and here I come with no concern whatsoever and wipe it all out.
This is kind of what happened on a much larger scale, and I was sorry for the ants that I messed with all those years ago. This is a mean planet in what probably is a mean universe, and I for one am much more grateful now than I’ve ever been for the things I do have. Nothing is owed to us.
My heart really goes out to the millions who are without the cushy creature comforts that most of us have grown accustomed to. I’m not laughing, because I know I could be next on the docket at any time. We all could. That sure keeps everything in perspective - and a frightening one it is.
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