Harvey Teaching Important Lesson
Hurricane Harvey is continuing to pound the coastal towns of Texas with a wrath that we have not truly seen since Katrina hit Louisiana. The rains are continuing to flood more and more areas and billions of gallons of water has fell with more predicted to be falling in the next few days. The governor has simply said that it is a disaster area and news reports are saying that it is biblical flooding. Thousands have had to be rescued and many more will need to be. Simply put, Mother Nature has simply shown that she is still in control! Many lessons can be learned from this storm though.
First and foremost, all lives matter! For a few weeks, we have all heard of the chaos that erupted in Charlottesville, Virginia during protests over statues that commemorate the Confederate soldiers and flag. Monuments are being removed to prevent more chaos in cities all over the south and I have even heard people complaining of others using the word "Dixie" to describe the south. Whatever your opinions are on that subject are just that, your opinion. It really has nothing to do with our daily lives if a statue is standing in a park that honors Robert E. Lee or not. What does matter is that lives are important- all lives, whether they are black, white, Indian, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, etc. They all matter!
What we are seeing in Texas is proof that many still feel this way. Whites and Blacks are working together to save lives of those that are stranded in their homes. A rescuer truly does not care about the color of someone's skin, they simply want to save lives. Neighbors helping other neighbors and not worried about whether that person is the same race as them or even the same political party. When it comes to saving lives, no one cares what side you are on!
Secondly, Texas residents are showing that people still care! People that have lost everything are still working to help others that are in the same situation. Some of these people will have nothing left to go home to, but does that make them hate another group of people - the answer is no! They understand how scared the others are and are willing to help. That is the way the world should work! care about others and not yourself!
Third, Texans are teaching us to be prepared whatever the case may be. These families that are being rescued were prepared for a storm to hit. I am sure that many of those being evacuated bought supplies and were in the storm for the long haul, but circumstances change and as the waters are constantly becoming worse throughout the Houston area, many are realizing that their preparations were just not enough and it is time to leave!
No matter what the weather is, the issue is, the cause is, we should always be prepared to make the best of it or have an exit plan. No one went into this storm believing that we would see the torrential weather that we are seeing. Was it predicted to be bad? Yes, but many times predictions do not come true. For many, these homes are all they have and they felt it was best to remain there and hope for the best but are finding that they must leave and go with a new plan. We should always have a backup plan! Sometimes, are plans fail or go awry and we must go with a new plan.
As I watched the news today, my heart broke when I heard reports that some residents of a gated community could now leave their homes only by walking and that the waters they would walk in could be filled with snakes and alligators, but in comparison to daily life that is true as well. Sometimes are days are filled with a way to survive but that way is met with snakes and alligators, so to speak. Someone whom has decided that they do not want us to do as we feel is right. Some one who has decided that their way is the only way things can be and so we fight those animals in our daily struggles. An alligator could be the boss that won't see the work that you do while praising someone that you know only does bare minimum work. A co-worker that won't give you credit for the work you have done or a bully in school. We must face these dangers head on to keep ourselves out of trouble and from drowning in self pity. We all know that the danger is there and we must keep our eyes on it.
Whether as a nation we come together for our brothers and sisters in Texas and help them rebuild their lives or not, we could learn a lot from the sights that we have seen so far and many more lessons can surely be seen in the next few days. Say a prayer for those in the path of this storm!
First and foremost, all lives matter! For a few weeks, we have all heard of the chaos that erupted in Charlottesville, Virginia during protests over statues that commemorate the Confederate soldiers and flag. Monuments are being removed to prevent more chaos in cities all over the south and I have even heard people complaining of others using the word "Dixie" to describe the south. Whatever your opinions are on that subject are just that, your opinion. It really has nothing to do with our daily lives if a statue is standing in a park that honors Robert E. Lee or not. What does matter is that lives are important- all lives, whether they are black, white, Indian, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, etc. They all matter!
What we are seeing in Texas is proof that many still feel this way. Whites and Blacks are working together to save lives of those that are stranded in their homes. A rescuer truly does not care about the color of someone's skin, they simply want to save lives. Neighbors helping other neighbors and not worried about whether that person is the same race as them or even the same political party. When it comes to saving lives, no one cares what side you are on!
Secondly, Texas residents are showing that people still care! People that have lost everything are still working to help others that are in the same situation. Some of these people will have nothing left to go home to, but does that make them hate another group of people - the answer is no! They understand how scared the others are and are willing to help. That is the way the world should work! care about others and not yourself!
Third, Texans are teaching us to be prepared whatever the case may be. These families that are being rescued were prepared for a storm to hit. I am sure that many of those being evacuated bought supplies and were in the storm for the long haul, but circumstances change and as the waters are constantly becoming worse throughout the Houston area, many are realizing that their preparations were just not enough and it is time to leave!
No matter what the weather is, the issue is, the cause is, we should always be prepared to make the best of it or have an exit plan. No one went into this storm believing that we would see the torrential weather that we are seeing. Was it predicted to be bad? Yes, but many times predictions do not come true. For many, these homes are all they have and they felt it was best to remain there and hope for the best but are finding that they must leave and go with a new plan. We should always have a backup plan! Sometimes, are plans fail or go awry and we must go with a new plan.
As I watched the news today, my heart broke when I heard reports that some residents of a gated community could now leave their homes only by walking and that the waters they would walk in could be filled with snakes and alligators, but in comparison to daily life that is true as well. Sometimes are days are filled with a way to survive but that way is met with snakes and alligators, so to speak. Someone whom has decided that they do not want us to do as we feel is right. Some one who has decided that their way is the only way things can be and so we fight those animals in our daily struggles. An alligator could be the boss that won't see the work that you do while praising someone that you know only does bare minimum work. A co-worker that won't give you credit for the work you have done or a bully in school. We must face these dangers head on to keep ourselves out of trouble and from drowning in self pity. We all know that the danger is there and we must keep our eyes on it.
Whether as a nation we come together for our brothers and sisters in Texas and help them rebuild their lives or not, we could learn a lot from the sights that we have seen so far and many more lessons can surely be seen in the next few days. Say a prayer for those in the path of this storm!
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