It Hasn't Happened Before.... (An Extended Thought)

Yesterday, following Hurricane Irene I posted about the people who stayed in their homes, thumbing their noses at the forecasts, potentially putting themselves and others (ie, rescue workers) in harm's way. These are the people who were bold enough to say:

I've lived here all my life. This has never happened before, so why should I believe it's going to happen now?

Well, I have heard this thought so many times over the years to explain denial and an unwillingness to believe what is right in front of a person's eyes.

• I've never had an accident while driving under the influence.
• Those weather men are wrong 75% of the time.
• Nothing is going to happen to me.
• That tree is solid, it's still standing after many storms.
• Why, when I was a kid, the blizzards we had make this look tame.

On and on they go about many things. One day I finally got fed up and figured the perfect answer.

I am glad to know that. I have lived my entire life and I haven't died. I guess that means I'm not going to. It hasn't happened yet.

Yes, I know I am a smart aleck. But when someone tells me that the amount of snow we had in December was a record- that means it never happened before- but it just did. If there was never a storm like that in history, how can you remember worse ones. They never existed.

It becomes time to accept reality at some point and see that what is happening is a unique and unusual event. (Thank God!) Give thanks that we lived through it, that it wasn't worse than it was. Give our condolences to those who have been seriously affected and work to help them get back on their feet. But don't think this was like something we had in the past.

Let's just hope it doesn't happen again very soon. I don't want to live through that kind of thing more than once in my lifetime.