Last night, on the America’s Public Media radio show Marketplace, I heard a story about "Survivor: Waveland", where a group of 100 residents in Waveland, MS, had taken refuge in the Coast Inn and Suites. One of the owners commented on a destitute woman in town who was always seen pushing her cart down the street, noting that [now]
"we’re all pushing carts … we’re all in the same boat … we’re all survivors"
One of the new residents of the Inn expresses similar recognition of oneness among those who have survived the storm, identifying with those he might have judged harshly in the past:
"My god, I’ve become a looter… I never, ever thought i’d be as destitute as i am now … Now, all of a sudden, we’re pushing grocery carts … We’re exactly the same as anyone else, and it humbles you a little bit, makes you look at things a little bit different."
This illustration of "compassion" — whose meaning is, literally, "to suffer with" — is especially poignant to me, having recently read Field Notes on the Compassionate Life (whose blog is strangely silent on recent events), which has motivated me to increasingly identify with (rather than differentiate myself from) others.
This also stands in marked contrast to the judgments I hear so much about in the media (and from some neighbors), perhaps best illustrated by similar photos with contrasting captions suggesting that black people "loot", white people "find". I’ve heard people blame the poor residents of the areas that were hit by the storm for not evacuating beforehand (even though many had no car, money or place to go) and for not organizing and taking care of themselves afterward (even though there was no physical or communications infrastructure to support this). And among politicians, there is blame being cast every which way (the best summary of which can be found in a recent New Orleans Times Picayune editorial).
As I noted earlier, I’m seeing more and more similarities between the U.S. Invasion of Iraq and the response to Hurricane Katrina, especially as more troops (and Halliburton employees) move in to the Gulf [of Mexico] area. The devastation of Katrina has exposed some serious issues regarding race and class in this country (well, I say "exposed", but I suppose it depends upon which media sources one is exposed to). This presents a golden opportunity for compassion and kindness … or, on the flip side, prospects for a growing insurgency here in this country (which may be one of the reasons why there is increasing talk of martial law in New Orleans and the refugees are being dispersed around the country).