Permanence - 3/11/07

I'm always amused (well, sometimes not) when people assume permanence in their lives. I was reminded of this today looking at the pictures on Tomlin's blog (http://360.yahoo.com/profile-hh0ZOVoldKscPmq2elzSSlY-) of the devastation from Katrina. Experts had been predicting for years that the levee's around New Orleans would fail if the city took a direct hit from a Category 4 or higher hurricane. The city was built below sea level, surrounded by water! Is it because we always assume that it won't happen to us, or is it just a risk we take to do/be/or live as we wish to? Or do we put too much faith in the systems we build around us to support us. We believe that the power will always be on, the water will always flow from the taps, the toilets will flush and there will be food in our supermarkets to sustain us. But what if none of those things were true for long periods of time? We've seen with Katrina that there can be horrendous failures in the infrastructure. We've seen society very quickly spiral into chaos. How can we maintain our tissue-thin belief that all will continue to be OK for us forever? Perhaps its time to change our mind-sets; to become more prepared to care for ourselves, or at least know how to if needed. Now I'm not suggesting that we all move to Montana in little survivalist camps; because quite frankly, if it gets that bad, I don't want to survive! I think that we'd all be better served to focus our intent to create a world where there is peace, clean air, clean water, and "love between my brothers and sisters all over this world". (Yes I am a child of the sixties.)

You might want to look at Cat's blog today too ( http://360.yahoo.com/profile-WZgeMCEyerK.6hQOTJ.hsx4-?cq=1) as it appears that she and Tomlin both provided the inspiration for this particular entry today. And to think I was going to rant about Daylight Savings Time.