Maturity

“…to achieve maturity one must be prepared to change and give up cherished beliefs and habits…”
-Moshe Feldenkrais

Like the old proverb about being unable to twice dip your toes into the same river, you can’t change AND stay the same.  It is both literally and figuratively impossible.  Yet how often do we try to maintain the status quo after life-altering events?

I hate to get political but the obvious is, well, so obvious that it calls out to be called out.  The southern coast has been ravaged by two hurricanes in as many weeks.  Two more potent storms are gathering.  Will they, too, pummel the already battered states, or lash out at other coastal areas?  Only time will tell.

In the aftermath of hurricane force winds and seemingly endless rains and floods, the real questions are “What did we learn?” and “How can we rebuild in a way that minimizes future risks?”

Both Texas and Florida are old hands at surviving tropical weather patterns.  They each handled their disasters in their own distinct ways – differently than on previous occasions – showing steps toward a more mature approach to safety, security and planning.  What they do next will have a huge impact on the future.

Will they rebuild as before without changes to building and zoning codes?  Will they choose to continue policies designed to defy nature?  Or will each state take time to assess the storms’ impact and take steps to work with nature, harnessing her innate abilities at water and storm management?

The belief that somehow we have a god-given right to destroy the natural environment will always come back to bite us in the butt.  Like it or not, the environment we pillage for personal gain is the very same environment we rely on for our very existence.  Air, water, land – none of these are replaceable.

One of my fondest dreams is for Americans to stop squabbling about “climate change” and to focus instead on what we all truly desire for ourselves, for our children, for their children’s children – clean air to breathe, fresh water to drink, beautiful environs in which to live, work and play.

Learning from disasters is a mark of growth.  Working with Mother Nature in rebuilding shows maturity.  Is America ready to give up its teenage notions of infallibility and take a few small steps toward adulthood?