Sometimes we are confronted with just how thin the veneer of civilization really is -- the veneer comprised of the patina of laws, rules, mores, customs and traditions we follow that allow, or in some cases compel, us to act civilized and on the whole to look “good”. However, when that veneer is stripped away by the occurrence of any catastrophic event, like hurricane Katrina, it is amazing how quickly who we really are becomes exposed for the world to see.
Katrina suddenly and effectively removed from a significant segment of the American public the social safety nets we have come to take for granted. Not only were the protections of law enforcement and health care eradicated, but so were such basics as food and shelter. And beyond that, many were even deprived of their ability to maintain the most base levels of hygiene due to the unavailability of dry clothes, clean water, showers, soap, access to functioning toilets and even adequate places to sleep. Some were even forced to wallow in the mire of their own urine and feces for what must have seemed like an eternity.
What was interesting to observe, however, was how these circumstances produced such different reactions in the people who had to endure them. Some appeared to just make do as best they could until help arrived. Others, however, saw in these same circumstances an opportunity to loot, assault, rape, murder and steal from their fellow men and women. Some burgled homes and businesses, and others were even found sniping at those who were attempting to rescue them.
For a period of days, these reports seemed to shock the nation. Many who were unaffected by the disaster watched the lawlessness and anarchy that prevailed and proclaimed their amazement. Upon reflection, however, would you not agree that our shock and amazement was at least in part due to the fact that these events forced us to look inward and appraise ourselves? Were we not being forced to introspect and reflect upon how we would behave under similar circumstances? So then, in a very real sense New Orleans was very much like a mirror being held up to the face of the American public … a mirror that enabled us to see ourselves for who we really are. If we were disturbed at all by what was occurring in Louisiana, was it not at least partially because some of the things we saw in that mirror we didn’t like very much?
Several years ago, Jose Saramago, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, wrote a book entitled Blindness. To those who desire a greater understanding not only of the people in New Orleans, but of themselves, it is a must read. It is a tale of the downwardly spiraling social evolution of an entire population as it becomes afflicted by the disaster of universal blindness over a period of several weeks. As the story evolves so too do our perceptions of what is right and wrong. Fears, lusts and greed abound as people are dislocated from their homes, all forms of transportation cease, food production and distribution withers and even unpolluted water to drink becomes increasingly scarce with the passage of time. The individual characters in this fictional society, like the citizens of New Orleans and not unlike many of us, are reduced to a daily struggle to survive, but the author unfurls the story in such a way that we are allowed to see how this common struggle affects different people differently. Some view the disaster as an opportunity to loot, assault, rape, murder and steal, while others succumb to much the same behavior, but against their will and in a way that seems to the reader more justifiable.
Toward the end of his book Saramago gives his readers a poignant line that allows them to distinguish among these disparate individuals who seem to have such different natures. Some of the characters, while reflecting on the impact of their blindness, raise the question whether the diverse behaviors they had witnessed consequent to a common malady were the product of people’s minds or their souls. In response, one of the more uneducated characters surprisingly concludes the discussion by saying:
“Inside [each of] us there is something that has no name, that something is what we are.”
So, in light of what we have seen transpire in New Orleans and before our memory fades, might we as individuals wish to introspect a little and ask ourselves the following questions: what is the true nature of that “something with no name” inside me that would be revealed by a similar disaster? In its present state is it good or is it evil? If the latter, do I have the option to change … or put differently … do I have a choice? And if I do, will I need help? In my opinion, one benefit to us all that might be derived from Katrina would be if those events compelled even just some of us to address these issues now, rather than waiting until after a disaster strikes. Whether we choose to or not, however, the irony may be that in both instances there is a very good chance that most of us, either now or later, will find ourselves making the same plea that was made by many who found themselves caught in the midst of Katrina’s fury: “God, help me … please.” If that is the case, the only question that remains to be answered is, “Why put it off?”
© 2005 Clifford C. Nichols, Esq.
Cliff Nichols is an attorney practicing criminal defense/entertainment law in Santa Monica, California. He may be contacted regarding this editorial at either (310) 917-1083 or www.cliffnicholslaw.com or you may join his blog at www.thedailystand.com
 | Blindness (Harvest Book) ASIN: 0156007754 |
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