3 - PATTERNS

The predictable roller coaster. We are capable of anticipating many of the contours of societal response to massive trauma like the tsunami. Looking back through a chapter titled “Crisis Management” that I wrote in 1999 for inclusion in the Presidential Action Plan produced by the Sri Lanka Task Force on Human Disaster Management, I discover an interesting example:

Addressing the divide between “cleared” (Government controlled), and “un-cleared” (Tiger held) areas, I wrote: “Thus disaster management in an “un-cleared” area may require the cooperation of parties not ordinarily in partnership and/or through the intervention of mutually acceptable neutral liaison intermediaries. Such a situation would arise – to use a “natural disaster” example – if a tornado’s sweep would encompass both cleared and un-cleared regions. As the forces which generate a disaster are not constrained by geographic or political boundaries, anyone or anything in its path is vulnerable.”

And indeed, that is what has happened. We have seen the efforts of the government and LTTE forces spontaneously combined, boosted by the participation of international rapid response relief teams. A common enemy can bring conflicting parties together. Knowing that, a “peacebuilding” component might be a standard part of the response to a disaster which sweeps through a society already caught up in a conflict. I.e., disaster response should not put peace and reconciliation efforts on hold. Rather, the humanitarian response ought to attempt to use the sudden willingness of the warring parties to work together as part of a long-term recovery and peacebuilding strategy. In that regard, note the following development here in Sri Lanka:

Death wish. A newspaper headline: “Tiger leader is re-incarnated.” Since December 26^th, there has been nationwide speculation that the LTTE leader was swept out to sea with everybody else. His ‘failure’ to emerge, to pronounce leader-like words of comfort and to support relief efforts sparked joy among those who considered their prayers fulfilled. Some papers even carried an obituary and described elaborate funeral rituals. But those fears (or hopes) were premature. From seemingly nowhere the LTTE chief emerged to confer with the visiting Norwegian foreign minister on Norway’s refreshed commitment to facilitating a final peace. A definite plus for the peace process.

More progress. Today, one day short of a month when Tsunami ignored the boundaries between “government” and LTTE areas, we all note with approval that government agents are meeting at Tiger headquarters to discuss tsunami relief operations.

“The media in all its varied and marvelous forms is a precious and powerful social and educational instrument” That quote is from another section of the 1999 Action Plan. Addressing the Role of the Media in human disaster management, we said, “The media, often regarded the ‘eyes and ears’ of the community, exerts a profound influence on how people think and how they might act. This is of crucial importance during times of peril, remembering that due to some vulnerability, immaturity or other physical/mental state, individuals may not be able to access or interpret information accurately.”

We have seen the media play exactly that kind of helpful role in this crisis. Drawn from some of this week’s newspaper headlines, here is a sample of media support to public sentiment: “Time to heal mental wounds,” “Israeli trauma counseling team arrives,” “They too need love: not only humans but their much loved pets and livestock were caught up in the tsunami – the Tsunami People Animal Disaster Relief Coalition is helping,” “It is all about humanity – a man’s karma is never lost,” “There is no escape of one’s past whether good or evil,” “Helping to rebuild minds,” “The Coalition for Assisting Tsunami Affected Women called for heightened sensitivity to women’s vulnerability,” “A disaster chapter needed in school curricula,” and “Mix of tsunami aid and preaching stirs concern.”

Instinct over “intelligence” No dead animals were to be found in the low lying forests in which they usually roam. Heeding vibrations or whatever, they and the birds got to safer ground. But big fish and sharks were marooned and could not get back to swim. The price we pay for evolution

Privation, loss and fear of abandonment. I listen to people speak of the tsunami’s devastation, of innocent lives washed away, of miraculous escapes and rescues, of abiding compassion, and of the smiling resilience of little children. And then I learn of behaviors that are shockingly cruel, insensitive or violent (especially towards women). Is there an explanation for this dark side of post-disaster behavior?

We are not, as a rule, fully aware of our dependence on our personal relationships and our reliance on our (safe) environment until something goes wrong. Similarly, we realize our hunger for connection when we cannot reach the people we love, should they reject us, go missing, or die. Rarely are we forced to confront the level of trust we place in our society or vest in the organization to which we belong. A disaster – an earthquake, a power failure or a strike, an event in which we discover that the trusted cannot be counted on – challenges all of our personal assumptions.

Possibly more than anything else, a disaster makes transparent our dependency and underlying helplessness. For it is then that we realize – often with reluctance, sadness, rage and despair – the terrifying extent to which we rely on a benign nature and on the good will of other people. At our deepest level – at the thinking-feeling-acting sense of being – this discovered dependence feels dangerous, and threatening. a tsunami shock of loss or abandonment.

This is more easily understood than one might think. Likely everyone has had something like this experience:

Your 10 year old son often sneaks to the sweet shop across the busy highway. You warn and warn. One day you are in the garden tending the orchids by the gate. You hear the screech of brakes, a bus comes to a sudden halt. Your son bursts in the gate, trips and falls near where you stand. What would be your first impulse? Note: My sons listened most of the time.

Thus this emotional tsunami, this angry realization of how much we depend on others and the environment. And thus, too, the reason why we tend to move so quickly to amnesia for the event.

If “there’s a tide in the affairs of men (and nations) which taken at the flood, reaches on to fortune” maybe it applies to nations. Island people are usually sensitive to tides, fishermen particularly. With their boats split apart, perched far from the water’s edge, fewer fishermen can venture out. Despite shortages, fish prices are down, depressed by fears the fish might have fed on the dead.

And yet, I feel the milk of human kindness flowing here. Gentle waves of sympathy, compassion and generosity – local and international – are helping as the wounded nation gears up for the 5 R’s. Relief, Rehabilitation, Reconstruction, Regeneration, and above all Reconciliation.