“Tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom, not a guide by which to live.” -RFK

We recently experienced a tropical storm in the mountains of Western North Carolina.  Maybe you’ve heard of Hurricane Helene.  The storm led to extreme flooding and complete devastation in many areas – Asheville, River Arts District, Swannanoa, Chimney Rock, and more.  This area has never seen the likes of this storm – ever.  As I sit and write this, it’s over two weeks since the event and there are still many without power, running water, or even a home to return to.  Having internet or cable TV seems like a cherry on top, but most don’t have that yet either. 

A few days ago, I went for a walk around my neighborhood.  Trails that I used to find comfort in walking were no longer accessible.  Massive trees made homes laying across the concrete paths.  Homeowners beginning the job of removing them with chain saws, creating piles and piles and more piles of branches, stumps, and logs to tend to at a later date. 

These trees are massive – The root system completely extricated from the ground beneath.  Some of these trees’ root systems are fifteen feet across (see photo for example).  I couldn’t help but see a comparison with these roots and the world around us.  The physical reality is that they are ugly and massive and are really creating chaos for all those trying to maneuver around the neighborhoods. 

On a larger scale, I see these root systems as a metaphor for us humans living through these current times.  We are literally being uprooted from the three-dimensional ideology that we have been following our entire lives.  It is as though God pulled up these trees and said “LOOK, this is what you’ve been doing”.  Those of us living through it are forced to take a look, but others turn away because it touches a nerve.  This nerve is sensitive, and reality is that it’s much easier to live within the same ideology they’ve been functioning under the entirety of their lives. 

Change is upon us, and we can’t ignore that.  My city and the surrounding towns are altered forever, and those of us who have survived will never be the same.  We’ve been shown the roots and realities of life in our present times and it’s dirty, messy, and unfair.  We’re resilient, as humans tend to be, and no doubt we will rise from the muck. 

But it’s time for everyone to accept that belief systems we have shared among society, family, friends and community are changing.  The positive and negative.  The right and wrong.  The good and bad.  Polarities.  Duality.  New reference points must be created, and everything is in transition.  Tragedy is the tool, and we are changed because of it.