Mortal moments

While the damage here in Switzerland has, for the most part, been nothing like that caused by the hurricane force winds and accompanying rain that hit several countries in Europe this past weekend, it appears that some parts of Vaud, the canton where I live, experienced gusts of wind up to 160 km per hour.   Trees were felled so that roads were impassable in some regions.

The storm, called "Xynthia" by the press, caused seven deaths throughout Europe in Portugal, Spain, Belgium and Germany.  But France received the brunt of its force.  The death estimates for France, which are still being revised upwards, are being reported around 50 right now, with 29 of those occurring in the French département of la Vendée.   There were more than 500,000 households throughout France without electricity because of downed lines.  Some reports place that number at a million.  French President Sarkozy has officially decreed that the damages caused by Xynthia are a "national catastrophe."  The designation is required so that victims may be compensated for their damages by their insurance companies.

According to the Tribune de Genève today, most deaths were attributed to extremely high tides, which swept into coastal areas, completely flooding entire neighborhoods.  One sad example that was mentioned dealt with a pair of vacationing retirees, aged 77 and 83, who had parked their camping van near a seaport.  When the tide that had surrounded their vehicle began to carry it away, they succeeded in getting themselves out, but were ultimately drowned.   Several people in la Vendée, who were in bed when the flooding happened, had just enough time to climb to their roofs, still in their pyjamas.   Most were saved by others who evacuated them in canoes or barges.  Some were rescued by helicopter.

These stories bring back too many memories of the nightmare that was Hurricane Katrina in the city of New Orleans in 2005.  Such events remind us all how fragile our lives are, how subject we all are to circumstances beyond our control, and that no matter how safe or comfortable we feel wherever we are, even in the most developed areas of the world, our situations can change in a matter of moments, of seconds even.  Our lives can be changed forever by events that we never anticipated.

Fear is not the appropriate response to this.   There is a time for each of us when the sands in the hourglass will run out.  That will happen, no matter what, wherever we are, and whatever we are doing at the time.  So, in the time that we are here, let us enjoy life for the wonder that it is!  Let us do what we love!  Let us never harm another!  Let us enjoy our loved ones and see them for the precious gifts that they are!  Let us remember that the best way to live is to try to treat others in the way that we ourselves wish to be treated!   If we can do that, then we should never be afraid of what may come next.