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Monday, September 12, 2005
Encilla: The other side of tragedy
By Robert Encila
Musings
TUCSON, Arizona -- Dubbed fondly as the Big Easy, it was a pulsating urban stomping ground brimming with culture and history. Tourists flocked to New Orleans daily to meet the promise of a distinctively southern charm unrivaled in many a metropolis.
In my impetuous youth I had to experience it to affirm the hype: the French Quarters, delectable crawfish, unique hospitality, the Mississippi Cruise, and Bourbon Street jazz--the city's flagship offering amidst a remarkable entertainment lineup. It remains one of the most unforgettable escapades in my modest travel repertoire.
I'm pleased to preserve this indelible memory, but I'm devastated to witness the catastrophic demise of a proud civilization, not to mention the painful uprooting of citizens eternally identified with its great tradition. I don't doubt the city will rise again, but nothing will remain the same.
Not surprisingly, Americans are stunned by the powerless aftermath marked by a sheer lack of preparation for such a disaster. These are sights unseen in this corner of the universe. Delusions of invincibility come crashing into a humbling comprehension that we are no more secure in our home than a fly around the dinner table.
I could say I'm ensnared between the political blame game and the dharma of moving forward, but I'm also tempted to assert a long-held impression that natural calamities are veiled opportunities for a certain rebirth. Recalling Shiva in his destructive glory, it is our destiny to crash and burn in order to create again. Indeed, some lives have to be sacrificed so we might appreciate what it really means to live.
I don't mean to be casual and make light of the immeasurable pain hurricane survivors are experiencing. I believe their hearts are heavy and their suffering immense. I can't imagine seeing a loved one perish before my eyes, or losing everything I have and ending up penniless in a strange new town.
While ample footage of disaster fills every television network, a rising trend of good news is spreading. In Tucson alone, recent evacuees were greeted at the convention center with rousing cheers and applause. An unprecedented number of volunteers emerged from sheltered anonymity to support the weary and downtrodden, providing food and water, safe refuge, counseling, and economic assistance.
Across the country people are reaching out to help. Whites welcome blacks into their homes, while republicans and democrats set aside political agenda to unite relief efforts. Once again America is poised to prove the spirit that made it the great land it was meant to be. Sometimes it does take a significant national adversity to make it happen.
It serves to remind the rest of us that most human beings seem to be at their best when others are in dire straits. When walls break down it's easier to acknowledge we have more in common than we have differences.
When thousands of people from all walks of life gather to respond to a national crisis, the ego makes way for a transformed outlook that permeates the separation we have so grown accustomed to. No one can deny the gratification sustained from working together. Community is the gift that belongs to every civilized individual.
Lest we think we're in perfect control, beware the fearful lord of death that hovers in the knowing clouds of existence. Let it be our mission to exit gracefully, giving instead of taking, thanking instead of whining, and caring for others as opposed to living constantly afraid.
(A Filipino-American who co-owns a drama and art school in Tucson with his wife Ginny, the author has performed internationally as a singer, actor, director, guitarist and pianist. His website is at www.studioconnections.net)
(September 12, 2005 issue)
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