Poor Planet Earth: a Volunteer Trapped in Bible Belt
What is worse: to get caught in a natural or man-made catastrophe or disaster… or to live one’s life within an institutional concept that allows for little or no personal, meaningful, dialogue? I just returned from seeing both juxtaposed and I have to work that idea out in my mind. The following is a bit of a rant about my recent experiences as a “reconstruction” volunteer.
According to statistics, the flooding of High River, Alberta, Canada, in June 2013 was the worst-ever flood disaster for that province (some say, of the entire country). As of now, the town is slowly recovering but many families remain in camps as their homes are either condemned, literally bulldozed by order of the authorities or remain uninhabitable.
Having some expertise in construction and a van-load of tools, I teamed up with a volunteer organisation in order to participate in some of the reconstruction. OK, so the middle of winter may not have been the best time to go, but that part was fine. I have a newer, very good vehicle and having been raised in the north of that province, I did not encounter anything unusual or unexpected. All of the work was planned for inside, and the houses I worked in were either partially inhabited already, or at least had power so we could set up lights and heaters. Although reconstruction can be tricky, it’s similar to renovation.
Having my own transportation I retained a certain degree of independence and took some time to just “look around” the town. A great many houses looked just fine on the outside, but just glancing through those that had windows (as opposed to just being covered over with translucent polyethylene sheets) I could see they were dead inside. Wires dangled from ceilings and naked studs stood stripped of the drywall (sheetrock for my American friends) that had fallen off or been ripped down and hauled away. These houses stand empty while home owners wait for money, or volunteers to make their homes habitable.
During the three weeks I spent there I resided in a government-sponsored camp several miles from the town. Most of the camp was made up of flood victims (refugees) who still remained uncertain as to their fate: whether their home would be repaired or condemned. A lot of sad faces, some expressing hope, many just “there” – resigned and going along with whatever fate shall bring.
So close to home (about a thousand miles from here) and I was reminded of how little those like us who have so far escaped unscathed from any major ravages of nature or predation of man, really know or understand of what it is like to lose everything. Those who make a habit of watching the news are constantly bombarded by stories of disasters and other horrors that are so much a part of life on earth, yet it does not touch them. If it truly touched people, there would be so much money offered in help; so many volunteers rushing to help that organizations would be unable to cope. If it truly touched those peeping toms of others’ misery they would quit the news in an instant – guaranteed. But Earthians are primarily a species of odd voyeurs who never seem to get enough input from other peoples’ misery, sorrow, stupidity and ignorance. I see it as a sociopathic sickness.
As I said, I teamed up with a volunteer organization, and I want to make a point about that. The purported intent of this organization is to respond to disasters and provide help for the victims. So far, so good, but it is a Christian organization and you won’t be allowed to forget that, nor operate within that group without performing the required religious exercises, or rituals. I’ve become a bit more mellow with my aging and I know I overlook a lot of things now that I never used to. But having to function within this chokingly closed religious environment was intolerable. I had offered my help, tools and expertise strictly to work in reconstruction. I had made no “deal” to attend prayer meetings or Bible readings or “preachings” but no matter how I presented my case, I was told that if I was in that group, I would have to attend the meetings. And I did – for as long as I could stand it, which was 3 weeks. I could have stayed much longer, and since I had spent a good deal of money to get there, it would have made sense to do so. But try as I may, I could not get “exempted” from the religious aspect of the volunteer effort so I opted to leave.
In retrospect I ask myself: are these people really there to help the victims of disaster, or to promote their brand of religion? And is it not hypocritical to the extreme to use a disaster, and the victims of such, to promote a religious agenda? If “God” is truly loving, would He not rather see “His” people giving freely to the “poor” without the advertising and proselytizing? Isn’t the helping of paramount importance, however, or by whomever, it is given?
Anyway, guilt says I should have stayed “on course” and kept on doing my thing for those homeless people, putting up with the divine side-show, but something deep and fundamental within my mind made me choose otherwise. Seems to me I was participating in, even promoting, an age-old concept that has enslaved the minds of people, created schisms, fomented wars and genocide, despoiled, tortured and killed innocents by the millions, always in the name of some loving deity. Enough is enough. As individuals we must wake up to this travesty, expose its lies and oppose it whenever possible.
This week here in the US, our Supreme Court found that prayer could be held in government meetings, and that if one found exception to it, one could leave. What bias! And they call themselves Supreme judges!
I would say that a good way to exit such meetings might be to (accidentally) drop an armload of documents, then pick them up and exit the premises - without a word.
Best regards,
Leland
I am sure the people's home you did work on appreciated it very much.
The religious group and it's entities are too forceful.
Many blessings,
Lady Mary Ann
I Wrote It in Beginning As In The(Your) End:
..............Voyeurs $ Of There Own Cause...
TRASK...
“Take your life as it is!
Do not think “Such it could be”
Do not curse any of your days!
What you must bear, endure !
Everything that you encounter
Bless, and you are blessed !-
Be Blessed my friend
Love Emile
Churches in the United States are nonprofit and do not pay taxes. There is some thinking that perhaps they should because many make considerable amounts of money through various enterprises that compete with ordinary businesses. Churches also pose us a great deal of very valuable land that they have used profitably.
Ron
Love ya!
Jane