Subaqueous Orleans

But afterwards there occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and in a single day and night of misfortune all your warlike men in a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner disappeared in the depths of the sea.

    - Plato - Timaeus (360BCE)

It seems like something out of biblical scriptures. With all the talk of flooding and devastation, and yet there it is on the news covered channel to channel. Today the news isn’t about a mythical island of 10,000 years ago but rather a popular place of parties, drinking, and fun. It’s like having the heavens rain brimstone upon Disneyland.

I’m not upset, though. It is unfortunate that all of those homes are lost and people displaced, but I have to admit I’ve never been a fan of New Orleans. Perhaps the distaste comes from my Navy time; after all, most of boot camp was spent around so-called Cajuns. It is a learned behavior, wherever it comes from. I suppose that should be a consolation.

Somehow this whole event has me smiling. Mother Earth took a step forward a few years ago with a blast called tsunami to remind us all that we’re not as high and mighty as we’d like to believe. Human beings have far from conquered this planet. While that message was certainly clear in the East, having this slight echo as a reminder on our western shores should help bring that into perspective. I suppose it is a relief to me that the Earth is so comfortable slapping us back after those years of torment. It feels like a parent delivering retribution onto a naughty sibling.

Whether 360BCE or 2005CE, we’re all on the same little planet dealing with the same problems. In all that time, we haven’t changed at all in the eyes of nature. Though, perhaps we have a bit more waste.