Earthquake in Afghanistan and More Trauma
Who’s next?
Did you read about the massive earthquake in Afghanistan? Yeah, it devastated an already suffering region, leaving many dead or injured.
Do you ever find yourself wondering why them and not you?
Aw, c’mon, be honest. That little trickle of cold sweat running down the back of your neck is pure relief. You know as well as I do that you just missed another bullet in a life full of random pot shots.
How do we do it?
How do we keep from losing our damn minds? And, if we’re all in the same boat, why are we so hesitant to share the task of rowing the boat? Please don’t give me that shit about god works in mysterious ways. Ok? If I decided to solve problems by targeting unsuspecting people with horrendously random acts of violence, they’d throw me in jail.
I’m not bitter. I’m just curious.
I want to know what makes humans do what they do. In a world with so much uncertainty, you’d think we’d stick together— in a nice way.
Occasionally, we do.
But then just as often we don’t. That’s what blows my mind. As though life isn’t hard enough as it is with floods, pestilence, hurricanes, drought, starvation, arctic winds, microbes, bacteria, germs, viruses, pandemics, fires, accidents, and more.
Maybe we’re all trauma victims, unable to trust one another because we’ve experienced so much uncertainty.
Some days, it feels like a bloody set up. Somebody keeps tinkering with the stakes and playing with our minds. But then I take a look all around me and I realize that all living creatures suffer. They are us and we are them. From mighty trees to packs of wolves to elephants to gorillas, everything on this planet is vulnerable.
It does feel like drastic measures for the poor people of Afghanistan who have already suffered so much.
I got up this morning and had a great breakfast in an air-conditioned home and planned a day of ordinary events. My ordinary day would feel like nirvana to those buried in the debris of an earthquake.
Of course, it bothers me.
I ask why them and not me and then thank my lucky stars that I dodged another random bullet. I wish there was something that I could do or say to make it stop.
All I can do is —nothing.
Teresa Roberts is a retired educator, author, world traveler, and professional myth buster. You can find her books on Amazon.
