More thoughts on the Minneapolis bridge collapse.
Mourning.
A close friend of mine is really having difficulty getting over last Wednesday’s catastrophe. First of all, I don’t think people have to “get over it” - much to the contrary - one simply cannot dismiss the loss of life and injuries, along with the sorrow and pain caused by this tragedy. Nevertheless, my friend keeps talking about it, repeating over and over the names of those who have died, expressing great pity for the survivors, and wondering why it happened. (He is not at all religious, so I wouldn’t bother with pious platitudes.)
On the other hand, I’m far too cynical - even angry about it. Of course I feel sorrow and I pray for the dead as well as the survivors. I’m impressed, along with the rest of the city and nation at the heroism and compassion of the survivors and rescuers, but I keep thinking this whole thing could have been avoided. In an earlier post I wrote, “it’s the infrastructure stupid!” I reminded readers of the steam-pipe explosion a few weeks ago in NYC, which pointed to the deteriorating infrastructure in our cities. It hasn’t exactly been a secret that our Interstate highways, as well as city roads are in need of updating, replacement, or at best, heavy maintenance.
It’s about politics and spending.
People seem to have forgotten the problems with the levy systems in New Orleans during Katrina. Apart from the storm, that was pretty much all infrastructure stuff. However, until there is a disater, nothing gets done because our tax dollars are misspent on the showy things. Short term spending for short term profits. We build sports stadiums, bike paths, we renovate National Parks, and fund things like a Teapot museum - all because it shows and may increase revenue. Yet the infrastructure continues to decay. The deterioration doesn’t reveal itself until something tragic occurs - then it grabs our attention for a few news cycles.
Nevertheless, our attention span is about the length of a sit-com. 10 or 12 fatalities are simply collateral damage, we say it’s a miracle more people were not killed - and in a couple of weeks, we will forget about it. The big focus will be to rebuild of course - commerce must go on. The investigations will come out and people will resign or get fired, but will this change anything? I don’t think so. Not until the next tragedy, the next catastrophe, or the next disaster. Hopefully they will happen in quick succession - otherwise it won’t hold our attention long enough and nothing will get done.
Sentimental journey.
My friend’s grief, not unlike that of so many others we see on the news, is genuine. I can’t help grow a little impatient with it however. Unlike the attack of 9/11, these so-called accidents could have been avoided. I’m convinced the I-35W collapse was the result of negligence by Government concerned more with a fiscal budget than the safety of citizens. On the other hand, our politicians misuse our tax dollars, and we let them get by with it - we want our sports centers, our bike paths, along with all the other showy stuff.
What Government ends up doing is like a homeowner remodeling his house cosmetically - without reinforcing the floors, replacing the outdated wiring and plumbing, or reinforcing the foundation. It looks okay - but is it? I think we are a superficial, self-indulgent nation. Towers, levies, and bridges can collapse, along with the housing market, and yet we can’t bring ourselves to believe something is wrong with the system.
Vanity of vanities.
Today’s Gospel is so appropriate for us as a nation. We are the rich man who built larger, more expansive barns to store his riches, saying to himself; “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for years to come, rest, eat, drink, and be merry!” But God said to him; “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?” Or in our case, what is happening to them? They seem to be collapsing before our eyes, while only a few lives are lost in the process.
The Gospel begins with a warning we all need to take to heart on several levels; “Take care to guard against greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
Aside from the supernatural reality Christ is addressing here - for my purposes, and in these circumstances, it really is the infrastructure stupid.
August 5th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
I wish I could say you are wrong, but I think you are right on target. Keep praying.
August 6th, 2007 at 9:08 am
I received this email from a friend as a comment - I want to post it here. It also expresses my sentiments regarding the bridge collapse, and says something about us as a nation. I would have included thoughts such as these in my post, but I would still be typing today - and I’m not writing a book here. Here is the comment:
“Thanks for your blog reflections. I had many emails from friends in the Twin Cities about the bridge collapse, one in particular was very important I think:
“I of course felt the surge of adrenalin and caring, but at the same time I was dramatically struck by the fact that tragedies like this are daily occurrences in Iraq, and we the American people who are so intimately involved in that carnage never seem to get an adrenalin rush about it.”"
August 6th, 2007 at 9:55 am
Superb post.
I’m amazed that the government can “miraculously” find money when disaster strikes but “lose” the money the rest of the time.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
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