“The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another.”
– Thomas Merton
As the sump pump goes off again, vibrating the kitchen floor, I can’t help but think about being surrounded by flood waters. We’re fortunate. We had flooding in the past and put some money into the basement so we wouldn’t have this again. But we’re probably in the minority.
I have a hard time imagining what it would be like to be in Cedar Rapids or any of those other cities that are under water. I experienced some flooding in Missouri this spring, but it was nothing on the scale of what our friends in Iowa are experiencing.
Some folks are thinking “Those poor people…thank God it’s not me…” I don’t think that, because while it’s not directly happening to me, it is happening to us. In some way, we are all in Cedar Rapids, Myanmar, Iraq, or Sudan. We may not be there, but we are.
Sorry for the paradox, but I’m feeling paradoxical this morning.
Hey, I was thinking about you the other day, wondering if you and the rest of the Rutabaga family were safe. After a call to the shop (nice voicemail message, by the way), it sounds like veryone is okay. I hope it stays that way. At least there’s lots of paddling opportunities…
Mark,
working on getting the Rossin on the road this weekend – WooHoo!