Last Friday I walked out of the grocery store with a carton of ice cream for which I hadn't paid. After packing the rest of the groceries into my trunk, I headed back toward the store to figure out what had happened, running into the people who had stood behind me in line. I asked the dad if they had tried to buy the carton of ice cream that had ended up in my bag. He replied, "no" and said "sweet" when I told him that the ice cream I was carrying wasn't on my receipt. I continued into the store and resolved the issue with the checker. I was a bit miffed by the fact that someone I know considers it a bonus to walk away with a "free" carton of ice cream. Nothing is free. Someone has to pay for it, somehow.
Saturday, as I followed the news on the earthquake in Chile, I was astounded that although initial reports focused on damage, loss of life, and a possible tsunami, later news articles highlighted the lawlessness that was rampant in the most heavily damaged towns and cities. I couldn't believe that less than 24 hours after the quake, people felt justified in ransacking supermarkets and even neighbors homes for basic necessities. Shouldn't this be a time to band together?
Now, I've only been in one major earthquake in my lifetime and, though the desperation/grief was palpable even hundred or so miles from the epicenter where I lived, I fail to understand how people can disintegrate into anarchy under such circumstances. I would hate to think that if such a disaster were to strike my hometown, that I would have to protect my 6-12 month supply of food at gunpoint. Seriously, people. I'd gladly give my stuff away, but to have it stolen? The thought is disappointing, at best.
Personally, I don't think that returning an unpaid-for item to the grocery store is something to be commended. And the events of the last week have given me pause - in fact, humanity has been knocked down a notch or two in my mind.
So couple all of this with the fact that I finished the Book of Mormon on Sunday. In one of the last chapters, Mormon is lamenting the degradation of his people, a civilization who, in a matter of a few short years, turned against God so completely as to be without civilization, their works so abominable that Mormon wept over them. Even so, he manages to find hope in Christ. He says, "My son, be faithful in Christ, and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death, but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever."
One only needs to watch the news to get discouraged about the state of the world. But I, too, find hope in Christ, that He lives, that He suffered the pains of all men, and that He will come again in glory. What a triumphant day that will be.
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3 comments:
GREAT!
Now I miss you even more than usual.
I read in the news that the first shipment of food and supplies that the Chilean government allowed out actually went to the military families who had not been without food yet, whereas the poor were lacking food and water for many days. When your government won't look out for you and those are the circumstances you are in for basic survival, I can kind of understand the return to "hunter-gatherer" ... but I'm sure not everyone's motives are pure. I'm just saying the circumstances are dire and people have been known to deviate from their values pretty far and pretty rapidly when faced with death for themselves and/or their children.
Polliwog, thanks for your comment. I can see your point. I'm sure there's a lot that I don't understand, but, as I do understand it, the looting began within 24 hours of the earthquake. Perhaps they were anticipating that the government wouldn't provide for them so they were preemptively stealing? Regardless, what was striking to me was that in Haiti, where the destruction was even more devastating, and the country more destitute to begin with, the looting didn't seem to be as much of an issue. It could just be the way the media has covered the quakes, but it made me a little sad to see an industrialized country deteriorate so rapidly towards anarchy.
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