Harvey in Houston A Buddhist teacher and scholar reflects on the devastating storm in her hometown (original) (raw)

Abstract

Image by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | https://tricy.cl/2x9KRnS The headlines roar. The feelings, however, are more nuanced. A disaster this big throws both shade and light, just like meditation itself can do. Our own and others' afflictions are exacerbated, and our goodness shines brighter. That's what we've seen here in Houston. I'm riveted by the overwhelming elemental power of the storm, the angry people waiting in long lines at gas stations, and the heartwarming human grace the situation inspires in people of so many races, religions, and nationalities in what has become the most diverse city in the United States. By late Friday afternoon we had shopped for food, despite empty shelves not seen here since Hurricane Rita, the last big hurricane that hit in 2005. The rain cut loose completely after that. Not silently, but with loud bouts of thunder following big bolts of lightning. Even though I think I know what a hurricane can do, I'm stunned at what the freshly unleashed forces of nature feel like. Below the skies dripping with menace and amid the streams and bayous bursting their basins were people from all walks of life helping their neighbors. Among them, a Jesse Gonzalez and his son rescued people in southeast Houston by boat. On Monday I first learned of the Louisiana Cajun Navy, born in the chaos of Hurricane Katrina, who brought their vessels to Houston to help.

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