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This fall is a good time to learn some social and economic lessons. Most people probably see the problems caused by the hurricanes as "acts of God" or nature, but they are also certainly made worse by how we lead our lives today. Although most of us may think of the testimonies of simplicity and equality as individual calls to lead better lives, Katrina and Rita can teach us that they have important social implications as well. Lesson #1: We live in social groups, but we are on our own. When the mayor says leave, he assumes that everyone can do it and that leaving will make sense for everyone. But the poor are different. The choices facing them are very limited in an every-person-for-themselves society. They are overlooked because planners do not realize that it is important to prioritize leaving, to make social provisions, and to provide mass transit. The simplistic command – do it yourself – indicates we are not a society but a group of individuals who happen to live close to one another. What’s missing? Social capital – that web of networks and trust that allows a society to get things done.
Lesson #2: Evacuations of big cities don’t work. Telling the people of New Orleans or Houston to evacuate is a bit like yelling “Fire” in a crowded theater. And we are an urban people. Can we live securely when the only response to a disaster is to get out when we can’t actually get out? After all, even those of us with private transportation risk being stranded on an interstate parking lot trapped in vehicles that have run out of gas.
Lesson #3: Evacuations themselves destroy communities, jobs, and business enterprises. So, it just doesn’t make sense to empty out a city when catastrophe threatens. The alternative is to spend money to get ready for the problems before a disaster hits. We need to think through what kind of construction can withstand natural and manmade disasters and where buildings should best be located. And we need to have rules and inspections to enforce what we decide. Then the community can stay together and rebuild together. The local social structure and the local economy will stay intact or, at least, will be rebuilt by the people who live there.
Lesson #4: Building and maintaining a comprehensive ecological system is tomorrow’s mandate. Hurricanes existed before global warming, but the higher water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico has made hurricanes more intense. Inter-coastal canals for shipping and for oil pipelines helped reduce the size of the salt-water marshes which absorb storm surges. Building homes and businesses right on the coast or out on barrier islands puts a lot of people in harm’s way. Can we learn to behave more sensibly? Certainly beginning to walk more gently on the earth makes sense for our futures, but it is far too late to leave the earth alone. We have already modified its ecology. Now we have to use what we know to modify it in a way that works.
As Quakers, we believe that there is a spark of the divine in everyone and we know that living simply means living better. But often we are perplexed about how to translate our ideas into action. Katrina and Rita provide some insights into the social construction of spiritual ideals. If we sit quietly before we charge into the future, maybe we can learn to construct our cities to be the communities they should be.
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