Disaster?

I used to wonder why the thought of disasters excited me. Now, don't worry, I'm not some sort of psychopath or sadist- I get no pleasure from other's pain, and in fact I find it very difficult to endure the thought of so many people who suffer daily around the world. However, when I thought about a disaster happening, it would always bring some small sense of hope or excitement as I contemplated an unexpected break in the normal flow of life. I think I've finally realized why; disasters, even small ones, snap us out of our daily routine- they open our glazed over eyes and yank us out of our ruts, forcing us to look at things in a new way. Have you ever noticed that when something bad happens, people start to speak to each other again? Most of us go day to day barely talking to those we see around us, but when disaster strikes, suddenly everyone wants to communicate and help out. People start looking each other in the eyes, asking questions, coming alongside in solidarity with those who need it. Disasters break down social barriers, forcing us to see each other and acknowledge our shared humanity. We instinctively want to pool our resources and knowledge to help those affected, and we are brought together. It reminds us that we are all part of the same group- money, clothes, and politics aside, we are all human and vulnerable and need each other. Disaster can take us out of our sterile, busy lives and throw us into the dirty business of working together to solve a problem. I believe that this attitude of instinctive unity which arises out of necessity is what birthed some of the greatest changes in history. It doesn't have to be a sudden disaster- any situation in which normal protections are gone and survival becomes essential can bring about this attitude.

Disasters are still terrible things, but I am grateful that some good can come from our troubles, and that (despite some appearances to the contrary) we are still human beings who care for one another. Oliver Wendell Holmes said this:

       "If I had a formula for bypassing trouble, I would not pass it round. Trouble creates a capacity to handle    
         it. I don't embrace trouble; that's as bad as treating it as an enemy. But I do say, meet it as a friend, for
         you'll see a lot of it and had better be on speaking terms with it."

Now, of course that applies differently to individual troubles than to massive disasters, but the point is that bad things are not all bad- they teach us something, about ourselves and about others. We learn that we have the capacity to be more and better and stronger, and more unified, than perhaps we ever knew.