| Jul. 10th, 2005 @ 11:31 pm Storms all around us... |
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Manmade storms hit London three days ago. Another storm, a force of nature, ripped through Florida and am now threatening southern US. I'm here in Sweden, but I was in New Orleans only weeks ago, and somehow that makes this particular storm feel up close and personal.
What is it with geographical distances, or cultural differences, that makes disasters, or crimes, feel like they don't concern us as much. Had I not been to London, or to New Orleans, might I not have felt them as strongly as I have?
On September 11, 2001, I was on a plane heading for the US. Needless to say, I was among the thousands and thousands of people who didn't reach their destination that day. However, I was obviously NOT among those thousands of people who'd never reach their destination...I was able to return home and, like everybody else, follow the horror in front of the TV. Somehow this altered me, how I regard things, forever. I lost a lot of the innocence, of the naïve thought that goodness prevails, only to get it back when I saw how the people in New York dealt with the horrific act of violence against them, against all of us.
The tsunami that hit on Dec 26, seemed to hit on the other side of our planet, from a Swedish point of view. I was again travelling and it took me a couple of days to realise how bad BAD was. And also, to understand that it hit one of the most popular Swedish resorts. A small country that we are - it hit us bad - on the other side of the planet. I might as well have struck our own coast, for the damage it caused us. But just as how the endless row of pictures of missing Swedes posted in the online magazines by devastated loved ones, I'm haunted by the many faces of the children of Sri Lanka, of Thailand, of the West Indies, who have no one left. And of the parents who lost everything... And I'm so impressed with how people gave, all around the world, and still continue to give. My own daughter started collecting stuffed animal toys for the children in this area who didn't have as much as a teddybear left.
New York, Washington DC, Madrid, London... different faces, same look. And how can it possibly feel far away for anyone on this planet of ours? To me - there are no distances anymore. The war in Iraq? It has a direct effect on all of us - they are our brothers and sisters - and so are every man and woman, fighting there for the greater good, doing their duty.
Hurricane Dennis causes havoc, and I pray no more lives will be lost in his wake, but I fear that won't be the case. New Orleans where I had such a good time among the nicest of people. The day spa who treated me like a queen.
I think of all of you. |
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