What happens immediately after a natural disaster? When a entire neighborhood is flattened leaving all wearing the same suffering? Recently, I found myself contemplating these questions. At such moments our visionary goggles are temporarily removed. These particular goggles should never be worn but sadly often we resort to wearing them. While wearing these goggles we see race, wealth, heritage ,the sin of others, their faults, why we hate them, why we dislike them, we remember what they did to us, we see religious affiliation, we see the car they drive, we see the job they have and the job we don’t have. We are able to see the things a natural disaster doesn’t see. In the moments following a tornado that has wiped out everything you and your fellow community members own, in those moments we are enabled to see what truly matters. For those moments we are unselfishly human, we are true. We are closer to God than ever, why? Because we realize all we need, we have. If only we could reside within that moment, remembering this is how we should always see the world; free from seeing our neighbor as black or white, free from seeing them as Catholic or a Jehovah Witness, free from seeing their faults, free from seeing what sets us apart but rather what brings us together. Sadly, before long we find ourselves once again wearing our favorite pair of goggles. A quick glance in the mirror before we step out. How do I look? Wow I look great!
12/20/12
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