Musing

6C, clear . . a fireball had just cleared the horizon, not a cloud in sight . . deer feeding as we entered the park noticed, then went on munching

I believe there are a few folks on the musing list from New Orleans . . or with friends & family in that area . . . hopefully all are well

I wonder, as ‘big moments in time’ pass – whether anticipated milestone date [our centennial tomorrow] or the big event [hurricane Katrina] that comes with little warning, do we understand anything better ? ‘instant’ reach global news informs us . . but most of the world do not, cannot , will not rush to provide help . . . instead we are voyeurs of a spectacle

hard not to be struck by the devastation & extraordinary rescue stories as the media deluge of CNN et al blows all matter of things out of proportion

I have no harsh feelings for dead, the lost, the dispossessed . . . but one wonders about an old city that chooses to live below sea level while knowing they could not hope to cope when the sea comes inland; perhaps in the decades to come that storied city could rebuild like a new Venice . . building up in recognition it is a city that must live with water in the streets

or maybe it is like our river valley . . so much built on the 100 year flood plane by people who surely believe the ‘big one’ will not come in our life time

I wonder if we learn much from history ? if so, why had New Orleans not built itself UPWARD like a modern Venice in anticipation ? . . .

what do we learn today ? we know so much more & know it more quickly, but does anyone learn ?

I wonder if society really copes better today, notwithstanding our technology & knowledge, any better than it did 100 years ago when self reliance was required of everyone, when hope of help from others far away was unlikely, when anyone elsewhere knowing or caring was unlikely

I wonder

Mark

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