Peace in a shaking World

The Moment the quake struck Christchurch

Fallen buildings, displaced people, grief and destruction on a massive scale assaults us every time we turn on the TV or Radio these past few weeks. Christchurch is not far from where we live, we felt the shakes albeit at a much lessened intensity and the destruction there has affected our lives in many ways. Disruption of mail and food distribution, an increased population as refugees flee to our part of the country and beneath it all the disquieting realisation that our world is not as solid as we would like to believe.
Then Japan and its terrible tsunami's, the effects of which where evident along our shores and now the ongoing nuclear disaster.  It is easy to become alarmed and afraid under such circumstances so how do we continue life as normal? Or should we make sudden and drastic changes to our lives in an effort to find safety in troublesome times?

These are big questions and I do not presume to answer them for you, rather I share my own response to these tragedies as one human to another. Let me begin by saying that we have been hosting a refugee from Christchurch who was forced from her house by the damage from the February 22 quake and it would be fair to say that her nerves were somewhat less than settled. Aftershocks, constant news footage and public discussion of earthquakes and the damage suffered is our daily fare. Add to that the fact that I write this within site of the biggest fault line in NZ on a site that has been severely shaken more than once in the past 100 years and you begin to get a sense of the uncertainty we are living with day to day. The tragic loss of life and property should not be taken lightly yet nor should we succumb to depression in our grief. There has also been a prediction of a big quake in the next few days for our area-one that has been hotly debated as to its authenticity.
 All that aside, the question remains, does my security and personal peace come from external circumstances or can I find a stability within myself despite chaos all around?

There are some shining examples throughout history of those who have walked in peace in the midst of turmoil  and you don't have to look far to find writings describing one way or another to achieve this state of internal peace. As for myself I had this conversation with a local tradesman today and asked him if he had prepared in any way for the predicted big one. His answer.... Yeah, I've stocked up on Beer!
I reckon if you're the type that thinks the world is coming to an end you could ease up a bit and stock up on Beer,. It's probably at least as effective as worrying.

Cheers.