"Mere anarchy"

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity."

-W. B. Yeats "The Second Coming"

Like Yeats, I, too, sometimes wonder "what rough beast. . .Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?" What cosmic tsunami is headed our way that will put the finishing touches on our madness? Anarchy doesn't explain it though the media have used that word to describe what has been happening in New Orleans. This is even beyond chaos theory. This is beyond politics though many would say this is exactly what it is. Help has finally arrived, four days late. Finger-pointing helps no one. Speeches and photo-ops don't help, either. It's too early to be asking some questions, much less answering them. Should New Orleans be rebuilt? Will that once again be inviting disaster? Anne Rice has a very informative piece in the NYT about New Orleans. The title is "Do You Know What it Means to Lose New Orleans?" She asks at the onset, "WHAT do people really know about New Orleans? Do they take away with them an awareness that it has always been not only a great white metropolis but also a great black city, a city where African-Americans have come together again and again to form the strongest African-American culture in the land?" She reminded me of some things I had forgotten if I ever did know. A quick answer might be that, yes, we need to rebuild the city. But, maybe this time it would be the right way (if there is a right way).

Of course, first we need to rebuild people's lives. We had minor problems with Katrina in South Florida. Very minor. Who would have guessed that the not-even-category one hurricane would hit the Gulf and regroup into the monster it became? Apparently, not enough people. The human losses and suffering are almost unbearable. It is time for us as a nation to work together for our common good. I remember being hunkered down in Camp Lejeune back in 1968 and being told that the Marine Unit we (a group of Navy Hospital Corpsmen) were attached to might have to go to Gulfport if the hurricane (I don't remember the name) hit and our help was needed. We ended up not having to go. I thought about that last night and briefly considered whether I could still serve in that capacity to help up there. However, a lot has changed in 37 years, namely, me. Diabetes, clogged arteries, and failing kidneys might disqualify me from being recalled to active duty. Let's hope so, anyway. So, I made a donation to the Red Cross today and set up a link on my college webpage so students and others who visit it might also be inspired to help in whatever way they can.

In the meantime, a few prayers might help. They might help those who have suffered so much, and they might help forestall whatever it is that's out there that has it in for us.

Peace