Earthquakes, Tornadoes & Everyday Life

Once upon a time, I lived in the Los Angeles area. I never once worried about an earthquake. Every day I just got up and did what I had to do. I never got out of bed and wondered if today was going to be the day that we had an earthquake.

I say this because people often ask if I was afraid of earthquakes when I lived out there. Yet, I do not think I am unusual. Do people who live in Florida get up every morning and wonder if they are going to get hit with a hurricane? People wanted to rebuild in New Orleans, Mississippi and the Gulf Coast as soon as the water receded.

Obviously not. If that were the everyday consciousness, people would not want to live in Florida or California. And what about all those midwesterners who live along the Mississippi River that periodically get flooded? Or the people who live in Kansas or Nebraska who are very familiar with tornadoes? Did Seattle quit growing after the volcano at Mt. St. Helens erupted?

No, these are just accepted facts. Nature will create such events periodically, and when she does, we will just deal with it. We have to keep our consciousness focused on what we need to do every day, and run our lives accordingly. We learn to handle routine things routinely, and when the unusual comes, we rise to the occasion.

When disasters happen, the natural compassion of people surfaces, which simply demonstrates that most people are good and kind. There will always be those who step forward to help in times of crisis. And that is the fascinating thing about human nature.

Yes, right after hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes and so on, there are the jackals who will jump in to profit off the misery of others, but they are far outnumbered by the good hearted people who donate money, time, labor and energy. In some ways, disasters bring out the best in people.