Volume 30, No. 36
September 11, 2005
The Big Uneasy
Four Septembers after the worst terrorist attack on North American soil, much
of the continent is reeling from another epic disaster. The perpetrator may be
an element of nature but Katrina’s most deadly accomplice was wholly human.
Though many rail at God for allowing the death and destruction, there are some
tough realities to confront.
As pointed out by journalist Ron Fournier, experts had long predicted a major
hurricane would hit New Orleans, overwhelming the levees and filling the
bowl-shaped city with waste-infected water. Just last year, the Army Corps of
Engineers asked Washington for $105 million for hurricane protection and flood
prevention programs to safeguard the city known as The Big Easy. Federal
politicians approved only $42 million, even though everyone knew a big storm
could swamp New Orleans’ network of earthen, steel and concrete barriers.
Making matters worse, the same legislators who couldn’t find the $105 million
for flood control earmarked $231 million to build a bridge to a small,
uninhabited island in Alaska. In fact, the federal government spent a total of
$286.4 billion on a bill that included 6,000 pet projects of various
politicians, including the Alaskan bridge, dust control for Arkansas roads, and
a warehouse on the Erie Canal. The ultimate pricetag for such misplaced
priorities can’t even be calculated because nobody knows how much it’ll cost to
rebuild New Orleans and other devastated districts.
Some even question whether a city that lies below sea level should be
rebuilt. But a far bigger issue is whether we’ve learned anything fromthis
largely preventable tragedy. The track record isn’t encouraging. Millions
still live along a California fault line that will inevitably rupture with
cataclysmic results, much of the world is still pitifully unprepared for another
9-11 or a flu pandemic, and incremental but monumental threats to the
environment are discounted or dismissed.
Yet, whenever disaster strikes, God becomes the easy and predictable
scapegoat. Though that’s understandable, we don’t know to what extent human
activity spawns weather-related catastrophes like Katrina. Even if they
originate purely from natural phenomena, their fearsome effects are compounded
by human greed, pride and stupidity.
Let’s not forget we humans cherish our freedom to choose. Our Creator lets
us decide between right and wrong, or better and best. But we must accept the
often tragic consequences of the bad choices made by ourselves and those around
us. Free will is anything but free.
That means ghastly things happen to godly people but, like any loving parent,
our Father doesn’t always rescue us. To expect him to is like playing chess
while changing the rules after every move. And if we’re honest, we don’t
usually want God to interfere — even when we’re hurting ourselves and others —
until the consequences set in. We throw caution to the wind then pray it won’t
fly back in our face.
The devastating effects of Katrina should remind each of us to heed the
warning signs in our own lives, before it’s too late. That may mean shoring up
shaky relationships weakened by neglect, reinforcing our faith and love, or
getting our priorities straight. Instead of turning a blind eye and a deaf ear
to the perils of sin and self-centredness, we’d do well to identify the areas in
which our character, conduct and conscience are most vulnerable. Fortifying
those weak spots may cost us dearly as we tear down and rebuild, but that price
pales compared to the ruinous results of apathy and pointless procrastination.
Too often, it’s only when we’re touched by death or devastation that we
reconnect with God and vow to put first things first. I see it all the time at
funerals but the good intentions soon fade because the relationship has no
roots. But real faith — a close, consistent trust in Christ — is a bulwark
against even the most towering waves of loss and turmoil. When disaster looms,
where we point the finger isn’t nearly as important as where we point the heart.
By Rick Gamble, published in Cross Current, the weekly newsletter of the
Followers of Christ church family in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Reprint at
will in not-for-profit publications. To receive these free weekly articles via
email, send a note to
sgamble@bfree.on.ca