Fire

California is a land that renews itself with fire. It has always been so. Now, human population growth and activity has exacerbated the situation. Lives have been lost and there have been billions of dollars in damages. About thirty years ago I drove through fire just north of Los Angeles. It was terrifying.

The solution lies not in tweaking fire suppression and management techniques. The solution can only come from reversing our inexorable slide into permanent and worsening climate change which requires more discipline and determination than the world has, thus far, demonstrated. It’s a problem beyond our individual ability to fix.

That does not, however, mean we can’t make a difference. Last year there was a homeless fellow in Great Falls having a mental health crisis. People avoided him, not wanting to get involved. Fortunately for him, two ladies, good citizens, from Cascade happened by and provided assistance to him.

Recently, friends of mine were in Toronto and came across a homeless man sleeping in near 0 degree temperature on a heating grate. Once again, folks avoided the man who looked bad and smelled worse. A quick trip into a nearby market took no significant time and not much money but they were able to give the man a roast beef sandwich for which he was very grateful.

Neither of those acts of kindness changed the world. Neither of those men likely had their lives permanently saved by what was done. But, in those small gestures, for a brief time, goodness replaced indifference.

In California, there are well over one hundred thousand people forced to evacuate. Hundreds of thousands of cats, dogs, horses, other pets were suddenly in desperate need of shelter. Because there are those who have the capacity for empathy, helping hands are being held out to alleviate in whatever small way, the suffering of people and animals.

Life is difficult. Life will always be difficult. There will always be tragedies, both large and small. We can’t create heaven on earth. We can, however, offer a bit of comfort and care in a largely indifferent world.

Along with many others, I am beyond sick and tired of the vitriol, the mean spirited nature of our national discourse. I am beyond sick and tired of politicians aligning themselves with the worst actors in their parties who constantly denigrate the “other side”. The extremes of both sides are destroying the social fabric in their quest for power and to slake their thirst for vengeance.

Cascade, Montana can’t, all by itself, change that but we can choose a different attitude for ourselves and those around us. We can reach out a helping hand to folks in need without checking first to find out if they agree with us on matters of politics, religion, or any other aspect of life that divides us.

We really are all one people in the midst of the storm of life. We can’t calm the storm but we can lessen its impact on one another.