Be Prepared

Friends of ours in South Dakota moved their modular onto undeveloped land even before their water and septic was completed. Their 13-year-old son said after two months of hauling water and waste, "Mom, I just want to be able to take things for granted again."

His words have more meaning than he intended, I think. With ice storms, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires, volcanic eruptions, and other natural disasters, many people are seeing how easily electricity and clean water are lost. The news showed how people affected by the ice storms disaster, for instance, moved into hotels for warmth and their TV. Many ate daily at restaurants. Most complained they were running out of money by using these strategies to cope with a situation which seemed it was never going to end. One woman on her front porch said she and her family didn’t know what to do with themselves.

I’m not a dooms-sayer, but preparing for disasters indigenous to an area just seems like common sense. My thoughts follow the tract of each person being responsible for themselves. As individuals we can gather candles, flashlights, a battery radio, spare blankets, bottled water, a camp stove, etc. on hand. We can set aside canned foods in a special corner and rotate them through our meals so the supply is kept updated. We might even want to stay in touch with simple pleasures like crayons and paper, a deck of cards, story-telling, etc.

I found an interesting story in the news several weeks after that huge tsunami hit the islands a few years ago. While those in ‘civilized’ areas were struck immobile by the immensity of the destruction, those on primitive islands handled the same situation differently. When search and rescue helicopters reached them, rescue teams found people burning their dead, boiling water, and rebuilding with materials blown in on the tide. They didn’t wait for a handout like those who were used to ‘government subsidies’ and Red Cross. They knew what to do for their own survival.

In 1983, I was made to memorized a list prepared by Hopi Elders which alerted me to my need to be prepared. These ten items have since been written, and the list gets passed around the Internet frequently. It just surfaced again with the announcement, "We are the ones we’ve been waiting for." Every time I read this list, I rethink my responses to each item. The practice helps me stop taking things for granted.

(The Hopi Elders sent forth this message after a four day vigil.) "We have been telling you to tell the people that this is the Eleventh Hour. Now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour, and there are things to be considered:
Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relations?
Where is your water?
Know your garden.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.

"The Elder then clasped his hands together and said, “This could be a good time!"