Eye of the Storm

Way down, deep in the eye of the storm, it’s sometimes difficult to see the enormity of what is all around you. Everything appears calm while everyone but you sees the mayhem and carnage that would otherwise goes unrecognised.

As this immeasurable tragedy struck, the news filter through so slowly that the sheer magnitude of what had happened, although it seems ludicrous to say, almost went unnoticed. And even as more details came to light it provided little more than amusement from where I stood.

At 2:28pm on May 12, 2008 an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter Scale shook China’s Sichuan Province, with Wenchuan County taking the brunt of the quake.

To date, the earthquake has caused 69,130 known deaths including 68,620 in Sichuan province; 17,824 people are listed as missing, 374,031 injured and 11 million people have been left homeless.

It’s easy to feel unconcerned when catastrophe strikes a long way from home, in a foreign land, affecting foreign people. We console ourselves, feeling satisfied with a pledged donation, an online post or a simple shake of the head while agreeing a terrible tragedy has occurred.

As I stand here at the precipice of this nightmare, I find I have lost my complacency and found new eyes; for the first time confronted by the harsh reality of what has taken place.

The lesson learnt is that when nature rears its ugly head and natural disaster strikes unannounced, it is just that, a total and utter disaster. And no matter where you stand, no matter your line of sight, the unholy void left in its wake should give us all pause to reflect on our own good fortune, particularly those of us who find ourselves in the eye of the storm. My heart goes out to the millions of people and their loved ones whose lives have been shattered by this atrocity and the uncertainty of nature's wrath.