Witnessing Disaster Unfold

 Life in Retrospect

Most of the important things in life are viewed from over our shoulders.  And while we were looking back, learning from those lessons, we missed something before us that would someday be seem even more important.

Occasionally, we look ahead with a sense of déjà vu and a hint of foreboding.  Our view seems strangely familiar in a frightening way.  But is it the déjà vu that instills fear, or the uncertainty about the newness?  We tend to fear the unknown more than even the tedious familiarity of peril.  The devil we know versus the one we do not yet know.

What if we are right?  What if ‘it is all happening over again,’ and we are just witnessing the replay of great tragedy?  Are we doomed to let history repeat itself?

History, ever-evolving, never unfolds exactly the same way twice.  However, our memories tend to be shaped by familiarity, making them easier to store.  We also tend to respond in similar ways to similar circumstances, a trait deeply ingrained in our nature.  Therefore, looking back reveals patterns and feelings of déjà vu.

This sixth sense can lead us toward what we seek or potentially steer us away from what we best avoid.  It is opportunity knocking at our door, and the outcome of that depends upon how we greet it.  Sometimes, open arms are best.  Other times, an assertive confrontation is needed.  However, one tactic that always fails is to not answer.  Ignoring something means falling victim to it.

Survival demands response, even if it means some of us fail.  We did not get this far alone, and we will not progress alone either.  Eventually, everyone chooses sides or gets chosen to be collateral damage.  Either is still a personal choice and not an inevitable fate.  We can choose out of courage or fear, and the stakes are the same: our survival.

Our existence, though seemingly inevitable, paradoxically makes us stronger—at least for those who endure.