Friday, September 15, 2017

For Anyone Complaining in the Wake of Irma

For those of you complaining about ANYthing at all today...
      This post is for those of you complaining about not having power and those of you complaining about those complaining about not having power and any other complaint on the table today. Tragedy stinks. I get it. I really do. All we heard for an entire week was hurricane Irma this and hurricane Irma that and watch out for the storm surge and "get out while you can!" Then the storm hit and everything went dark (and hot and sticky) for days. And the enormity of the silence after all that talking.... Some of us are STILL without power. Some of us have had to throw away entire refrigerators full of food. Some of us don't even have a home left to put a refrigerator in.
      And so I get it. Social media (mainly Facebook) is a way to connect with others, vent our frustrations and even in some weird, intangible way, bear one another's burdens. It is also, thanks to the mobile network, the only link many of us have to the outside world after being plunged into darkness and silence by this beast of a storm due to power and internet loss.
       As a society, our bend has become "sharing" our lives and happiness and sadness and whatever other emotions drive us on a daily basis. So when something like this happens and gives us an actual reason to get our stories out there but we actually can't because we are cut off from the proverbial "grid", of course we are going to flock to the one outlet we have to connect with the world outside of our dark, hot and sticky homes.
      Think about it. The power and internet is down. You can't watch the news talk about the storm anymore. You can't cook anything on your electric stove. You can't even give up and go to sleep because you have no air conditioner. You can't go out on the roads to escape the miserable situation at home because everyone else is also experiencing the same situation. Also, it is just plain DANGEROUS to be driving around when there are virtually NO street lights or police readily available. So, I totally get that people want to take to social media to complain, rant, rave, praise, cry....whatever. That's ok. I just want to say to each and every one of you, no matter what you are complaining about, I hear you. I am right there venting with you. I hear and feel your pain.
      This storm was awful. Downright unfeeling and merciless. No, I cannot imagine what it is like for those down south who lost their entire lives. I cannot imagine what it feels like to see every memory you've ever made washed away by the ocean. I cannot imagine what it feels like to have a loved one out working for hours and even days at a time to restore the lives of people who are only complaining and moaning about how long it is taking to make them comfortable again. I also cannot imagine what it would feel like to be 5+ days with no power in 90 degree plus weather. I really cannot (nor do I want to) imagine what being without power in those conditions for 5+ days WITH YOUNG CHILDREN feels like.
      Would I want to take to the one outlet I could in order to connect with my fellow humans in search of some shred of sympathy and encouragement? Absolutely. Would I want to go to the one place I could freely rant and release my frustration and possibly receive a "I feel ya sister!" in return? Heck yes! I think we all can relate.
       But just remember that tragedy takes no names and plays no favorites, my friends. That person you are blasting on Facebook for complaining about the electric company taking forever could be your very own neighbor. She could be the one who calls you into her door when the storm rips your roof clean off your house and you are forced to the street with your family. Likewise, the electric company worker that you are complaining about taking forever could be the very one who donated the money to the charity that gave you the assistance you needed to get back on your feet after the storm. You just never know, my friend.
       So I get that we all need to vent and we all need to feel validated in our frustration. But please, before we call someone an idiot or tell them to "shut the **** up and sit down" let's try to put ourselves in the other person's shoes. Let's try to remember that the ones we are condemning and humiliating, while their suffering may be different from ours, are still suffering. And to them, not knowing what it is like in your shoes, it is the worst suffering right now.
       The bible says we are supposed to give grace as we ourselves have received it. And as one of the biggest receivers (and daily needers)of grace, I am dolling it out in abundance. I hear you, I validate you, I feel you! Sister, brother, friend....neighbor. My prayer is that we all can find it in our hearts to offer grace in the face of unreasonableness, selfishness, and (most importantly) in the face of suffering. That we can all come back together as a community and lift each other up online the way I've seen us do in real life. After all, if we think back real hard, haven't we all at one time or another been a little unreasonable and selfish ourselves? Isn't this what Jesus meant when He said we should be mindful of the log in our own eye before we try to take the spec out of our brother's eye? More importantly, isn't this what He meant when He said "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy"?