Who We Really Are

A street in Houston with many rescuers

My front yard and street

I am in constant amazement with how human beings flower into the best version of themselves when catastrophe happens. I didn't want to write about the many, multifaceted stories I have heard because of this disastrous storm, Harvey, and how it effected Houston, Texas. I only heard a few of the many stories that have surfaced. Most are never reported, if they are even observed.

People find themselves doing things they never could have imagined doing when there is real and desperate need calling them for help. Sometimes this verges on the edge of crazy… like jumping in high, fast-current, flood waters to save a stranded animal. Yet, when we do see this sort of thing, all of our frenzied hearts melt into a primal oneness, as we understand why. The emotions are all over the place, but our raw, collective feelings of caring are at the top. I have been most honored, having my faith restored, which never should have been lost, to know my fellow human beings for who they truly are. I should have remembered.

No one ever wants tragedy to happen. No one dreams with eager anticipation of experiencing such floods any more than we want to be visited by a heard of zombies. Yet, we humans seem to need the reawakening of our potential. It is about our capacity to love, and how we are absolutely connected to each other. These are the highest attributes that define us as human beings.

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Neighbor's kids playing in flood water

In a normal, everyday world, we barely smile at the stranger walking by us. We are often oblivious and numbed by this simple act, as when driving on the freeway at 70 miles an hour, without ever thinking about the madness of it. We do it so frequently, it seems completely sane, and some how, it usually works without a hitch. But in an instant, all this can change, with yet another human story unfolding before our eyes.

I would like to think I can go to bed at night a bit more assured that there is hope for us. Perhaps we will not allow our negative selves to take over. Greed at the top with money and power leading the way in pursuit of precious resources, those found mostly in the ground. Seeing what these pursuits do to our planet is without question heartbreaking for all of life; for us. Animals are going extinct at such a high pace that most of us could never keep up, even if we were aware. Natural habitat is disappearing at alarming rates, and large bodies of water are turning foul, including our oceans!

And then there was sunlight

Perhaps we will allow our true selves to see the need for that same, loving help in a more universal way. To think of ourselves as Earthlings, not from this country or that one with borders or walls separating us. Perhaps, we will understand what it means to be guardians of our planet. We will make the necessary changes to allow all life to prosper, without the need for a tragedy to remind us. Sadly, when we go against nature, we fulfill and create the tragedy. But yes, I do have a bit more hope when I see it first hand in front of me like these past few days, and feel the love of my fellow, human being so dearly.

Taking a deeper breathe, and seeing us rise.

Blue skies after Harvey left