Necessities

Things we rely on: clean water, electricity, shelter, enough to eat, reliable internet...They may seem like "the norm" to many of us but none are guaranteed. In fact they are blessings that many in this world do not have. This morning I was dealing with wonky internet that wouldn't allow me to get a post through and it made me think about how I take using the internet for granted.

The tornado touching down in Kent Island has rocked that community and shows us how fast all these "normal things" can be stripped away. Articles about last year's flooding in Ellicott City bring back memories of residents and businesses that lost everything. Punishing heat, nothing but destruction to return to.

Long after the events of those days there are people whose lives will never be the same.

We are living in a time when the very foundation of our nation is being ripped away, not by catastrophic meteorological events, but by those who care most about themselves while cultivating fear of others to a fine point. A weaponized point. There is no more common good. There is no more innate respect of fellow citizens.

I get mine.

You are not my problem.

As much as I feared the powerlessness of the loss of Internet this morning, I fear living in this new world far more. A world without empathy and respect is a world where we have lost everything that is worth having. Our country is nothing if we cannot hope in each other and come to decisions that include the well-being of those different than ourselves.

These are painful and frightening times. I do not know the way back. Or the way forward.