Pompeii

I didn’t wake up angry this morning, which is a pleasant change from the last couple of months. That is because last night many feelings within were successfully translated into words, onto a screen, and that’s a step forward that’s not happened since about August. There was also important confirmation that I’m not alone: others feel the same way. Of course, that’s always been the case, but sometimes it is confirmation in the moment that matters more.

Validation changes everything.

There are countless issues with Social media, so many that you could fill books (which people have) but then you must ensure appropriate balance. One of the countless good things about Social media is its ability to hold a mirror up to privilege. Just because you learnt about something yesterday does not mean it only then began to be a problem. Except, of course, that’s how so much of modern life now seems to play out.

There’s a 2014 film adaptation of the events that led up to the destruction of Pompeii, which unsurprisingly was not a success [*]. The tagline for the film is simple: ‘No Warning, No Escape’ which presumably reiterates the historical facts available surrounding Mount Vesuvius’ eruption: people didn’t have time to escape the incoming pyroclastic surges. There is a lot of data on the explosions, yet little or no idea of the human cost. I think lots of smart people left when the eruptions began.

I’ve often wondered however of the mindset of those bodies forever frozen in lava.

Why are these two things in the same blog post? If you pay enough attention, natural disasters are becoming a big deal. Once upon a time you got days to prepare for storms: now it can be hours, sometimes less. Suggesting people be prepared for the unexpected is also met with derision or anger: this is never going to happen to us! Why should I care about being prepared when that’s clearly the Government’s task to deal with…

Does any of this sound familiar to you? Are there people in your timelines so resistant to change that they fail to register that not only are they capable of doing so, by that very action they can help and encourage others to think differently…? I know, many people just don’t care. They live in a bubble, confident nothing can destroy them… just like those people who are now lava statues in Italy: all that mattered was life, up close, until the moment of death.

I think we should all be preparing for the unexpected.

I don’t believe those victims of the eruption in Italy were caught unexpected. Part of me senses they refused to leave until it was too late, that fear of the unknown was the real reason for their demise. There’s enough known about eruptions now to guarantee that there would have been signs and open well before the final destructive denouement. Did you believe the omens? Were you listening to the right people?

There is nothing wrong with being afraid, it is a part of being alive. However, if that fear begins to adversely affect your life… That was me, a few years ago. I’m getting better with each passing day, and with an important Mental health Day coming up tomorrow, we’ll talk about that journey more then. For now, I see you people who are projecting your fear, and I don’t want it. As I said above, you can go away.

Being prepared for anything is a smart way of making life feel more comfortable. When you realise there’s no escape from the inevitability of Mother Nature’s rapidly changing behaviour because you were in part responsible for it taking place? Many things alter forever. You don’t get to go back to being innocent and non-culpable. It’s time to put on the big girl pants and make things better.

Change becomes a necessary part of existence.

[*] Knowing how a film ends can often destroy the immersive experience, and this disaster movie’s conclusion’s been history for centuries… is that why it failed? Nope. It wasn’t very good. Ho hum.