Time for a New Dialogue

 

The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by the skeptics and the
cynics, whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities.  We need people who
dream of things that never were. - John F. Kennedy

Today I had a long chat with my friend Brent, who lives in Baton Rouge.  I was thrilled to hear from him, not just because I was concerned for his well-being and that of his loved ones, but also because it was nice to hear the story from somebody who is living it, and will be living it for a long time to come.  He and his family were fortunate -- they sustained some storm damage, but nothing serious.  Several of his New Orleans kin are living in Baton Rouge for now, until they sort out their lives, but overall, he feels blessed.

Life in Baton Rouge has become "surreal" as he put it, with helicopters buzzing over every few minutes and crowds everywhere, and while some of it is difficult, Brent was full of stories of the goodness and kindness of his fellow citizens.

We began to talk about possibilities -- the culture of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast will change with the loss of landmarks, people, and a way of life that will never be the same. A substantial part of the tax base is gone, and the economic costs, along with the human costs, will be staggering. 

But what if, out of our mourning, we created a new dialogue, not just along the Gulf Coast, but in the entire country?  What if, instead of focusing on the debacle of our government not helping people, of not funding the restoration of the levees, of a culture of corporate greed that advances development at the expense of the environment, we began to imagine a new future?

What if we could eliminate poverty?  Educate ALL children?  Make sure that everyone has access to decent healthcare and a reasonable means to pay for it?  What if we developed renewable, non-polluting sources of energy?   What if America became, once again, a shining example to the rest of the world that people can work together to solve the problems that face society, and do it in a way that allows every one of us to live a complete, responsible, purposeful, and fulfilled life?

I'm not saying that we need to ignore the incompetence of FEMA and Homeland Security, or pretend that pork barrel politics didn't contribute to the problems with New Orleans' infrastructure, or forget that the city and state didn't implement an effective evacuation plan.  And I'm not saying that the anger, horror and frustration that have gripped the country for the past 10 days aren't understandable and justified.  But when we're ready to stop the partisan finger pointing, and charges of racism, the worry about whether or not using the term "refugee" is a slam, we have an opportunity to create a new way of life.

The economic costs of this disaster will be in the hundreds of billions of dollars -- it's money that could have been better spent solving the problems before they occurred.  No amount of money can prevent a hurricane, but if we had a more environmentally respecful energy policy, a populace that could afford to evacuate themselves, and critical thinkers who understand that the common good comes ahead of personal greed, we would be way ahead in mitigating the damage.  How can we NOT afford to change?

As we did after September 11, and after the Asian tsunami, Americans have demonstrated their humanity and stepped forward in droves to help their brothers and sisters in need.  Once the immediate crisis is over, we have a decision to make -- do we go back to the status quo and wait for another calamity, or do we seize the opportunity to envision a new future and create a new world for ourselves and our fellow inhabitants of this planet?

We've demonstrated that we can put aside our self-absorbed cynicism to help in a time of crisis -- maybe it's time to put it away for good.

Comments

[Trée]

Well said Marilyn.