You want to hear something really stupid?
I was seeing a few images of the devastation from Hurricane Katrina when I was out to dinner tonight with my kids, my buddy, and her two daughters. They were playing pinball, and I was staring up at the tv, watching the scenes of flooding and destruction. I was wondering if my blog friends are okay…. and I was thinking, “This can’t happen here! This is America!”
Dumb, huh? I guess I was just thinking that we’re supposed to have the resouces to avoid this. I mean, it’s not like the tsunami where those poor people didn’t even know if was coming. We knew. New Orleans knew. Mississippi knew. But I also think that somewhere deep down, I’m just so spoiled by life in America. Bad things do happen here from time to time, but they don’t seem to happen that often. And they’ve never happened to me.
My friend and I were discussing all the people that were shown being rescued. “Why didn’t they leave?” she said. And I was struck by a ridiculously fresh thought. “They couldn’t afford to,” I said to her, “Look at the people.” The refugees shown on the television were obviously not what you would call well-to-do. It is unimaginable to me. I have never known hunger. I have never known a single day of wondering where my next meal or my rent check is coming from. Yeah sure, I had some tense moments now and again where I had overspent on little treats and had to do some juggling to make sure the rent check cleared - but never any real financial worries. Color me shamefully obtuse, but it never occurred to me that people couldn’t just whip out the plastic, head down the road, and go visit family or friends. (Or do like we did when we avoided Hurricane Isabella, head down the road to a hotel and have some fun! Go to museums, eat at restaurants, and swim in the hotel pool… ) The idea of having nowhere to go, and no resources to go with… I can’t process it.
I’m sitting here with a dozen or more home listings on my computer, ads for Texas-sized four and five bedroom houses that are contenders for the next demensne of the blestwithsons clan. And I just feel so…spoiled. I’m sure we’ll do something to help. I just have to talk to my husband first. But whatever it is, it won’t feel like enough.
My son and I were discussing some Proverbs this morning. We were talking about a verse which said something like please don’t make me too poor or too rich. I was explaining to him about how riches make you think you don’t need God… and I asked him if he thought we were rich. He said no. I told him how, compared to most of the world, we are rich. I mean, of course we’re rich in love, health, family, friends, and most of all - Christ. But truly, comparitively speaking we are financially better off than most of the world’s population. He’s only seven, I don’t think he got it. And until today, I’m not sure I did either.
note: please remember that we don’t have tv, so I never saw the images of the tsunami. It’s funny how it’s good not having tv because of all the filth you avoid. But unfortunately, it makes it easier to be insulated against the world’s suffering.