Hurricane Matthew left a path of destruction in its wake and the Carolinas weren’t spared. The forces of nature are absolute. These forces do not discriminate. Throughout the ages, civilizations are affected regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or social status. It is not possible to tame, stop or direct the force. All that is left is for land and people to endure. Where is the beauty in devastation? Where is the inspiration in tragedy? Where is the art in destruction? My mind impulsively leaps to Pollack, Goya, Picasso’s Guernica. It needs to backtrack.
There is a calm before a storm. It’s super-real how quiet and still the wind is and how people just go about their day.
Thanks to modern technology we, in the Carolinas, knew Matthew was on its way. The evacuation of 2 million people along the eastern seaboard was very real. In today’s negative social climate in which the fibers of what binds Americans together is under attack, we all need to stop for a moment to appreciate those individuals who stayed behind to guard our properties; stand prepared to search, rescue, provide emergency care; and be first on hand to restore our lives by clearing our roads and giving us back the comforts of life.
There were so many that lost too much. We can just Instagram through it to the next feed. It’s only real when it happens to you.
So, where is the beauty, the inspiration, the art? I find it in the human spirit. Yes, we humans can be “characterized by kindness, mercy or compassion.” * Must we need destruction to remind us that we are all in this together?
Immediately following the force of a hurricane, the next day is filled with sun and calm, blue skies. The sun acts as a floodlight for the destruction, but its warmth can revive us and give us what is required, endurance.
*Webster’s Dictionary