Where to begin? I took the photo at the top of this essay at 2:00 in the morning one day last summer. I just developed the roll, after a wonderful though long drive up 95 to visit a friend in Martha’s Vineyard in July. Fortunately, I went before the tremendous spike in gas prices. The picture is of a flower that blooms only once every 7 years, or something crazy like that. This particular plant bloomed twice in a week, and totally surprised and delighted me. It's called a night blooming Cereus, and is indigenous to the desert. I don't live in the desert, though the dirt in the pot is quite desert like, I'm not responsible for that. I inherited the plant from a friend who had give up her home here because she couldn't get social security benefits to cover her chronic rheumatoid arthritis condition, which had crippled her. She moved to her sister's house in Vancouver Washington (evidently the system is more compassionate there)and I and other friends took in her plant collection. This particular plant isn't really that attractive, with its long, flat, spindly leaves. It’s a succulent and relatively hardy though, so it like many of my other plants thrives here. I've been told I have a green thumb. I just trust that everything that lives will grow as long as there is enough light and water and the roots are kept strong.
This column is not about flowers though, it is about being uprooted.
All of us thinkers, and writers, and compassionate healers, and rescuers and spiritual souls and artists and regular folks and politicians are being forced to look at our fragile humanity once again in the wake of a mighty storm, this time "in the land of the free and home of the brave ". We have to come to terms with the cold hard truth that man's might is no match for nature's fury. We have to come to terms with the cold hard truth that something could have been done to make this disaster less terrible and it will take a whole lot more than money to make things right after all the damage that has been done.
Bob Herbert: A Failure of Leadership
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/090505X.shtml
Bob Herbert writes: Neither the death of the chief justice nor the frantic efforts of panicked White House political advisers can conceal the magnitude of the president's failure of leadership last week. The catastrophe in City New Orleans billowed up like the howling winds of hell and was carried live and in color on television screens across the country and around the world.
Across the world, international communities wonder how America with all her riches and power could be so slow to come to the aid of so many. In America the sense of incredulous realization that there is indeed a portion of the country that is terribly marginalized and invisible is startling, and frightening to those who would rather "the problem would go away".
To the rest of us, that is those who do not choose to close a blind eye to the reality of poverty in America we feel anger. Many have equated the treatment of those evacuated to the Superdome in as similar to the slave experience on the Middle Passage. What a sad and horribly accurate analogy. Too many people, confined to a dark structure, with no food, water, air, sanitation, in stifling heat, with people dying in the dark around them. Historical memory in this Southern environment is easily awakened.
So many had their physical, mental and emotional foundations shredded. Some show resilience and the capacity to change their lives and move on bravely into a strange new world. Others lack the physical or psychological capacity and life skills to make the transition from the way things were to some place and something new. It is so hard to fathom having to leave somewhere that has been home for generations. It's also hard to fathom clinging to the only home you've known, with your animals, and loved ones to try to ride a storm out, only to loose one or two of those loved ones their bodies lingering, the guilt must be overwhelming.
American's have been doing everything they can think of to bring aid. The world should know that we Americans are more brilliant, compassionate, responsive, pragmatic, and altruistic then the slow fumbling leadership that portends to represent us. Americans wonder how all those displaced will be able to grow again after such devastation and have mobilized in every community both religious and secular to rush to aid of the distressed. Now we are hearing the stories about how the valiant tried to defend the rights of the weak and vulnerable and how heroes of all colors, shapes and sizes are doing whatever they can to keep others alive, even while they watch helplessly as people die.
With each new catastrophic disaster in the world community, we as humans are being called to a singular awareness of the fragility of our existence. We are told we must prepare ourselves in case of emergency, have our battery-operated radio, water, flashlight, cash and spare clothes packed just in case. We need to have a meeting plan for family and friends. We need to make sure to look out for the elderly and those without means.
With each new disaster, we are also called to understand that there is a fundamental need for building and sustaining neighborhoods and communities where people feel a sense of interconnectedness, no matter the economic status of the community.
Surely, that idea sounds outdated, and impossible to the cynics that have thrown up their hands in despair at the loss of America 's heart, or suspect to those who are “just trying to survive”. This latest disaster and each preceding one asks for not only kindness and sacrifices from strangers, but also awareness of social conditions outside of our microcosmic worlds. It is true that one action can effect many. I wonder how many will heed these calls.
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CD Baby has invited artists to donate all profits from any sales through
their site directly to the Red Cross. go to www.CDBaby.com and choose "for
charity" on the homepage. this will take you to a list of CD Baby artists
who have donated all monies from sales of CDs/DVDs directly to the red
cross relief fund. you can also just go directly to an individual artist's
page by searching their name.
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Americans for the Arts staff are working hard to connect with our members in the affected regions and to offer help in any way possible.
We can report that the damage Katrina inflicted on our members in Florida when it was a much less powerful storm, was relatively minor. Our members there are moving forward with an assessment to determine the damage to other arts organizations in their region. Greater concern is for those in the gulf states Louisiana, Mississippi,Alabama. We are attempting to reach our members there, and we will keep you updated on any information we receive from our state and local partners.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Members we have talked to in the affected regions have expressed a desperate need for information. In response, Americans for the Arts has set up a bulletin board on our website to gather and disseminate information. If you have heard news about how arts organizations, cultural facilities, and artists are faring in the aftermath of the hurricane, please don't hesitate to submit it for inclusion on the bulletin board. If you know of any initiatives to assist the arts, please feel free to share them as well. Eventually, we hope also to share news and ideas about how arts agencies, organizations, and artists are themselves helping to ease the human suffering that has literally engulfed the region.
If you would like to make a contribution, our regional partner, The Southern Arts Federation, has established an EmergencyRelief Fund to assist arts organizations and artists residing in those communities most devastated by Hurricane Katrina. A donation form can be found on our website at http://ww3.artsusa.org/pdf/get_involved/membership/emergency_relief_fund.pdf
We also recommend that our members consider making a contribution to the Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF). CERF's Disaster Relief Fund, interest-free loan programs and staff, are prepared to respond to professional craft artists who have suffered significant losses. To make a contribution to CERF, please visit their website at www.craftemergency.org.
Lastly, we have been in touch with our colleagues at the National Endowment for the Arts and they are preparing a formal statement, which we will post on our website upon its release.
Americans for the Arts is committed to helping those affected by this devastating disaster. We will keep you informed about additional ways in which you can help. If you have any questions regarding our efforts, please contact Mara Walker, chief planning officer, at 202.371.2830 or mwalker@artsusa.org.
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My prayers go out to all those who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina, which is all of us.
