The fire season is on us, but these days the threat of fire is ever present. Recently there has been more catastrophic loss, and the images and video leave us lost for words.
The science of fire these days is remarkably salient. The threat of ember attacks makes no property safe, when in yesteryear such concern may have been unconscionable.
No matter how many times I watch vision of the 2011 Japanese Tsunami I get chills for the power of that irrepressible wave that sent a surge of water inland many, many kilometres.
What do we do for those who are far away who have been struck by the devastation? What do we do if we’re nearby and find we’re reeling within it?
Well, praying helps. Not only is it one way of re-directing our grief into words that we can express for those who are suffering, prayer gets our minds activated. If there is anything we can actually do, the Spirit can lead us there. These prayers of intercession are needed constantly, because weather events are happening very regularly now.
But it’s not just prayer. The vision we see on our TVs is indicative of what will upset those who are close to us, and even those in our presence. We can offer them comfort. We can listen to them in their empathic distress. We can take some time to talk about it. Or, we might find a change of subject is more beneficial. Sometimes it is all just too much!
Disasters are reminders of events that take place very often at a moment’s notice and they’re certainly reminders to be prepared. We can take this reminder for preparedness into other areas of our lives as well.
Of course, there are the responses in disasters of shock, exhaustion, despair, among the gamut of emotions arise when we’re forced into panicked reactivity. We needn’t be surprised when people react in the most off-the-wall ways. What we would least expect we ought to expect, if that makes any sense at all.
When people come face to face with realities they never conceived could be theirs, such revelations awaken trauma. Better to sit and be still with someone, allowing the tide of their emotion to rise and fall as violently as it will, as we ride those waves as best we can with them.
There are all kinds of practical supports we can provide, especially if we’re innovative and prepared to go more than the extra mile.
Image: thenewdaily.com.au
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