I don't think that the world we live in today is really all that worse than it has been throughout the ages. It seems in relation to the amount of devastation we are currently experiencing that things are worse than they were 6-8 years ago but I think it's a question of perspective. The past always seems less-so in hindsight. However, it does seem like we are getting more than a fair share, in such a short time, of catastrophies that effect not just one region but have a rippling effect worldwide. I'm thinking about the Iraq war, of course, but I'm also thinking about global terrorism. I'm thinking about natural disasters like the Tsunami and the more recent destruction of hurricane Katrina. I'm in shock about the flooding in New Orleans. I've seen pictures of places my friend Kelley and I walked through that today we'd need a boat to get through. All that wonderful history just washed away. I'm also thinking about the disasters that are in our control to avoid versus the ones that aren't, or that we have less control over. When I think about the misuses of power propagated by the Bush administration, the lies, and the manipulation of Americans, it makes me angry first, then it makes me sad. What will governments do for power? What won't they do? It's interesting how when the earth shakes us up with its fury through natural disasters, we band together across political lines to aid one another but we can't effectually do the same to prevent man-made disasters. I'm not denying the work that individuals, groups, and, at times, nations have tried to bring us all closer together but it's not lasting enough. We forget too easily. The past always seems less-so in hindsight.
