As Irma pounds its way up the Florida coast, my thoughts are with those caught up in its path.
As with all disasters like this, we see the best and the worst of people come out.
One sad story caught my eye this morning, of a city council opening up the floors of its parking lot for residents in low-lying areas to take shelter in. When they arrived, they found the space taken up by cars for sale, moved in there by an opportunistic car dealer.
This story seems to sum up the "me first" ethos that is taking over the world. All the arguments back and forth over the legality or otherwise of the car dealer's actions to me completely miss the point. The point is, in what universe does anyone think this kind of action is OK - a clear abuse of the intent behind a good gesture?
I think the real question we should be asking ourselves is - what kind of society I want to live in? What kind of values do I want to instill in my children?
Only by looking after each other as well as ourselves can we hope to stand against forces like Irma.
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7 comments:
What a rat.
I agree - we are to be our brother's keeper first.
Hi Ian - I quite agree with you and Alex ... absolutely awful - I hope the owner is sued or beaten out of the county ... what I feel, but not what I should be saying ...
we should be looking after each other, and those in need ... I hope people can cope with these hurricanes and their aftermath - and not encounter looting ... as is already happening ..
Thanks for this reminder - care for others and be considerate - cheers Hilary
Your thoughts are spot on. There will always be people willing to take advantage of a disaster, yet angel wings sprout on the most unlikely of backs.
That car dealer was greedy. I heard of a van driving around a dead-end neighborhood, probably looking for houses to loot since it was an evacuated neighborhood. :(
Alex, a rat indeed :(
Hilary, if the owner gets identified I think they are in for a rough ride.
Stephen, here's hoping for a few more of the latter.
Chrys, hope you stayed safe down there.
Amen. I think we ARE our brother's keeper. (And sisters...) I do take solace in the fact that I still believe disasters bring out more good in people than bad. The bad may get more press, but thousands of people stepped up to lend a hand.
I read "Tiamat's Nest" and thoroughly enjoyed it. I must confess, I had a hard time getting my brain around the workings of the Internet "underworld," but the story was very interesting... and well-written, too. (Yes, sir... I left a review on Goodreads and on Amazon.)
Susan, it's sad that the bad gets more press. I think that's yet another unwanted consequence of how the capitalist framework rewards people - bad and sensational news sells better, and that's all that counts.
Glad you enjoyed Tiamat and thanks so much for leaving the reviews!
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