By Anthony Ogorek
Buffalo, NY – The common thread in most disasters is the thought that "this wasn't supposed to happen;" - the perfect storm syndrome - and that is true about this calamity. Normally (there we go again - if there is one thing we should all learn, it is that normal' is an illusion) this is the most glorious time of the year with autumn foliage in full bloom. The freak storm that dropped 22 inches of super-heavy snow on our leaf laden trees, causing massive branches to split like 20 foot toothpicks, would have been much less severe if it struck just two weeks later - after the trees had shed their chromatic glory. This brings us to lesson #1. In terms of a disaster, as well as most things in life, timing is everything.
Living through this disaster has offered a greater appreciation for the value of good neighbors. Because government is so pervasive in our part of the state, it is easy to be lulled into a false sense of security that government is in a position to take care of our every need - as long as we keep giving them more money to secure their stranglehold on our local economy. The Great Defoliator revealed that no matter how much government we have, (here comes lesson #2) in the end we are on our own.
During the critical first 72 hours of this disaster, at least in our neighborhood, we became acutely aware that we were on our own. It was up to the micro community on our street to ensure that everyone was safe; it was up to us to clear our street of debris so that vehicles could snake through. It was up to us to clear our drives, help elderly neighbors with food, secure pumps for flooding basements and clear the driveways for shut-ins who were unable to help themselves. There seemed to be an unspoken knowledge that we were on our own and one way or another, would have to rely on ourselves to get back on our feet.
Although we are all sick about the staggering loss of foliage in our older neighborhoods, upon reflection we now know that a neighborhood is more than a collection of homes and trees; the strength of a neighborhood (lesson #3) is its people - and it was astounding to see how unselfishly people were willing to pitch in to help everyone else. I don't know if unselfishness in the face of disaster is a uniquely American trait or not, but my optimism about the future of our community, and for that matter our nation, has been buoyed by what I have experienced over these past few days.
It is ironic that one of the best ways to get through a disaster is to take the advice of my 84 year old Mom who continues to work full time and advises anyone who even thinks of complaining to "count your blessings" (if the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, you get a sense of what my retirement plan will look like). This brings us to our last lesson: happiness is a state of mind, not a condition. Most of us have so much to be thankful for. We get so caught up in our routines and our own little worlds that a timely disaster can help restore some badly needed perspective.
We live with an illusion of control in our lives. There is a fragility to our existence that we dare not acknowledge - a disaster forces us to confront this vulnerability and deal with it - at least temporarily. My take away from the storm is that the human spirit is one of our greatest assets. We are indeed blessed that we live in a nation that however flawed, allows the greatest latitude of freedom for the human spirit - and that is a blessing that each generation must fight to maintain.
Listener-commentator Anthony Ogorek is principal of Ogorek Wealth Management in Williamsville.
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