It has now been seventeen years since the traumatic attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. What started as a routine morning for millions of people living in these different areas changed quickly. The world watched in horror while thousands of people at these sites scurried to avoid the effects of buildings collapsing and debris flying through the air as freely as leaves on a fall day. On the morning of 9/11/2001, the skies above New York and Washington, D.C. were clear, but a terrible storm was brewing. Within hours, men, women, and children ran for their lives, as they fought to realize and understand the tragic events that were unfolding around them. The world watched in severe sadness and fear as the reports of devastation became clearer, and massive buildings were reduced to piles of rubble.The terrorists were calculating, strategic, and intentional as they executed their plan. Their mission was agnostic, and their desire was to harm as many as possible without prejudice.
Natural disasters ravage areas in much the same manner. Hurricane Florence slammed into the East Coast with rain and flooding, causing billions of dollars in damage. The storm was relatively predictable, and it parked over areas for days, releasing relentless precipitation. Rivers and streams miles away raged out of their banks, as the water searched for a path back to normalcy.
Then, Michael popped up in the Gulf as a relatively anemic storm, but it rapidly developed into a monster with winds exceeding 155 mph. In the 24 hours before landfall, Michael’s intensity nearly doubled, catching many weather professionals and residents off guard. In short, this storm was anything but predictable or selective as to whom it impacted.
Although these events cause us to focus on the negative, I suggest we reflect on a positive phenomenon that occurs each time residents of this incredible country are attacked by malicious or natural disasters. People forget about the areas of life that seem to divide our country and suddenly become relational again. It is as though we turn the clock back a century, and life becomes very simplistic. The crazy schedules no longer seem so important, and everyone rediscovers their core priorities. Family members who have not spoken in years suddenly reconnect, and people contently residing across the street suddenly become neighborly.
It’s unfortunate that it takes a tragedy to bring us all back together as a country, but once we regroup, it’s a beautiful thing.
to your business!