It was scary here in Boulder last night as there is a big forest fire we can see up in the hills above us. The fire is now spread over 3500 acres and it is out of control. The sky began to fill with smoke after 10am yesterday and the fire has burned fast because of winds. I have at least three co-workers who have homes in the area and I hope they are ok. A couple was interviewed and they said the flames were shooting two hundred feet into the air and there is no way their home would survive. They left with the clothes on their back and a small box of possessions. They won’t have anything left. How will all these people deal with loosing so much?
The latest report has 3500 residents have been evacuated. It is very smoky here and what has been on my mind is the suffering of those who have lost everything. My home is not in danger but when I think about what I would take if I had to leave everything behind in truth there is very little I can’t live without.
This got me thinking about loss and attachment to the stuff of life. The people that are loosing everything but still have their lives will be grateful to be alive. The possessions are things that can be replaced. Starting over will be a challenge but we humans are incredibly resourceful.
As I write this I have been trying to keep up on the news, which is coming in slowly. My co-workers are my biggest concern because I know their homes are near the fire area and they most likely have been evacuated. These are people I work with all the time and I just want to know they are ok.
People matter, stuff doesn’t. I would bet everyone I know would agree with this statement. This would also be a statement most people on the planet agree with don’t you think?
If this is the case:
- How come corporate profits matter more than people and the planet?
- How come our healthcare is the hands of for-profit companies?
- How come those with great wealth keep getting richer and the rest of us struggle?
- How come there are wars, which are about control and property not about people?
- How come in this rich world we let people go hungry and homeless?
- How come we jail the mentally ill and the addicts when they need help?
- How come government is run my money interests and not the interest of the people?
- How come taxes are hated by so many when they provide so much to the people?
There are many questions to be asked and changes to be made that reflect the higher human values.