You hear talk of previous times gone by, of catastrophe and disaster bringing people together to help each other and thy neighbour in times of need. It seems a long-lost fairy tale given how people treat each other on the street on a day-to-day basis.

The ‘war like spirit’ they talk off in this country at least. During and after. But did it last? Clearly not, because it seems that once the event or drama has passed, people just drift away from each other again and back to their own lives. Changed in a way, but not enough to change the way we are. It has even been mentioned after a hurricane in the states that everyone did come together in the aftermath, but it quickly dissipates away and that feeling of being able to help each other and achieve something is lost. Some people have even said ‘we need a good revolution to bring everyone together’, which I found odd that we would need tragedy or disaster to sit up and take note. It always takes a tragedy they say.

Because even though lots of people may have seen it coming, and even talked about the likelihood or probability of it occurring, it’s not until it happens that people act. Or talk about it further, to say how they saw it coming and wasn’t it obvious? So not really odd after all then, quite predictable in fact. That people are more inclined to recognise a developing hazard or threat, will then discuss it at length and identify how it will occur, and how it could actually be averted. And then? They sit back and allow the situation or event to unfold, watching it, almost saying as it happens ‘I knew that was going to happen’, with a strange sense of smugness about being able to see it coming. Infuriating. The whole point and purpose of being able to plan ahead and be able to strategise and understand sequences of actions and events, is to use it to avert such things, in my opinion. Not be entranced by the process, and sit waiting for a result to prove our ego correct. That’s what children do, to learn and understand if their thought processes are correct, try and test the theory. Sometimes with painful consequences, both physically and emotionally. But some it seems do like to see the full drama unfold, or play out, and have no intention of avoiding anything.

So, what of that spirit they talk of? The one after the shit has hit the fan, and recovery is in process. Yes, it seems as a collective we have that one. But I wonder if we have the capacity for another type of spirit, the one that also gets talked of now and again, more as myth though, and with the spirit always being crushed conveniently or thwarted so the catastrophe plays out. However, could it be that we are also able to pull together before the dam bursts, or before the bridge collapses? I wonder…

(c) K Wicks