Learning From an Awakening
A friend just told me a story about being a child during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Before the earthquake, she’d had some earthquake safety training at school, and there were a few precautions taken in her house (like not hanging anything heavy on the walls above the beds).
During the earthquake, she froze and forgot what she was supposed to do.
It wasn’t until after the disastrous and deadly earthquake that schools learned how to effectively implement earthquake safety drills. It wasn’t until after the earthquake that the community took retrofitting seriously and people started making sure that they had proper supplies, like flashlights, solar-powered radios, blankets, food, and water.
Of course, there will always be earthquakes in California. Nobody can stop them. But many of the buildings and bridges are now safer and up to code. More people are learning to keep their property and their bodies as safe as possible.
In other words, since 1989, they’ve become more “response-ABLE” when it comes to dealing with earthquakes, from the powerful ones to the ones that barely register.
In other words, since 1989, they’ve become more “response-ABLE” when it comes to dealing with earthquakes, from the powerful ones to the ones that barely register.
What is it going to take for the world to experience an awakening and create a similar approach to preventing violence? What would that look like?
Just like we can’t stop earthquakes, we can’t completely stop violence from happening. But we can do everything in our power to minimize the damage and the harm.
