Hurricane Sandy came exactly as predicted on the afternoon of Monday October 29. In its short less than 12 hours duration it left behind a wake of unimagined and unforeseen impact. To their credit, our advanced weather systems and people predicted its path and timing very accurately. However, we never imagined the complex interdependencies that would leave us with many other consequences. We never anticipated that we would be searching for gas several days after the storm. We never imagined that subways and tunnels would be shut down for days. So Hurricane Sandy humbled us and our arrogant ways. In the short term, it left behind tragedy in many cases, and simply inconvenience in other cases. But in the longer term, it hopefully reminded us all of the fragility of our lives as we have constructed them. The scenes of devastation on the Jersey Shore remind one of the scenes of the Japan or Asian tsunami only a few years ago, although on a lesser scale. The scenes in Lower Manhattan are an eerie foreboding of what future global warming will unleash on major metropolitan areas. Whether it was boats on the shore or cars in the city tumbled on each other like toys, the fury of Hurricane Sandy was ferocious.
While many families suffered hardships and tragedy, many more had a chance to reawaken to the basic rights of life that we take for granted. We live daily without a care or worry about the luxuries of life that we are privileged to have. It takes a crisis like Hurricane Sandy to bring some humility, gratitude and appreciation back in our lives. A family member takes in the whole rest of the family, and the meaning of family is deepened and etched more deeply in our hearts. A neighbor invites us for a hot meal, and the value of “taking care of our neighbor” is strengthened in us. Relatives call several times from abroad to inquire about our safety and comfort, and we remember to remember them more frequently. Runners for the NYC marathon arrived to find out that the famous event had been cancelled at the last minute, and immediately start helping people in need. How much we can learn from this simple reminder, even if we were spared the worst impact?
For those of us who are more spiritually inclined, it is a reminder of the transience of life on this planet. Our attachment to material things may be emotionally strong, but is not forever nor guaranteed. For those of us who are anti-war, it reminds us to remind others that wars are dreamed up by old men to send young men to die, as George McGovern said, and make money (my addition). Why do we need wars to create man-made destruction, when we have enough to deal with as our planet evolves and strains to support its growing burden?
Hurricane Sandy’s greatest contribution therefore is yet to come, if we reflect and ponder what this great storm is trying to teach us individually and collectively. Nature is an awesome force, and it can alter us in awesome ways. May we take heed in time Inshallah.
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