I am
a storm chaser and I hate tornadoes. I hate them because they are
monsters, even more so because they are beautiful monsters with an
irresistible, mesmerizing attraction that both confuses my emotions
and challenges my ethics. Moore has jolted me out my my stupor!
I was
on a storm chase along the Red River when the first pictures of the
devastation in Moore showed up in my social media feeds. And
inexplicably, I began to search those same feeds for pictures or
video. Just how screwed up that response was became overwhelming
clear as I watched news media reports documenting the frightened
screams of school children searching for their parents after the
monster did its devilish work. I saw pictures of parents and
teachers with bloodied faces carrying their precious little loved
ones.
Somewhere
in the hype of storm chasing I have forgotten an important ethical
reality: Tornadoes are NEVER to be celebrated. Perhaps their
frightening power and awesome beauty can be respectfully enjoyed in
those cases when nothing is destroyed – I say “perhaps” because
even then we are incredibly close to an ethical precipice.
It is
far too easy to get caught up in shooting the best picture or
creating awesome video in the hope of a moment in the limelight. On
Sunday, I was a witness to a violent tornado that destroyed property
and snuffed out human lives. And, regrettably, yesterday I went out
storm chasing as if nothing had happened. In the midst of pursuing
the power, beauty and adrenaline rush of witnessing supercells and
tornadoes I have lost a part of my humanity. And that ends now!
In
the community of chasers (I am including myself, obviously) there has
been a gradual drift from actions and intentions rooted in our shared
humanity with the victims of disaster. For example, there was a time
when the chase stopped immediately when the first damage to human
habitation was witnessed. Now, mostly, the chase continues until
the event is over and then comes the return to provide assistance.
Additionally,
we have tried to convince ourselves that our hobby serves a
significantly useful public service by increasing awareness, disaster
preparedness and scientific research. Sometimes we do benefit the
public welfare in those ways, but not as often as we would like to think. Mostly,
I believe, we are rationalizing
– engaging ourselves in a subtle form
of self-deception. Our real intentions lean in directions other than
the public good: not necessarily nefarious – just self-centered.
As a
chaser who enjoys the hobby immensely, I am not calling for a
moratorium. But, I think, I am calling for a restoration of an
approach to storm chasing that carries with it a deep and honest
recognition of the reality of what we do. We need to be very
careful with our language when talking about our chases and
describing what we see and document. We need to pursue the public
welfare more intentionally. (There are a variety of ways to accomplish
that goal.) And perhaps we need to abandon the "profit" motive
altogether. As a Christian and as a human being, I know with my head
at least that there is something terribly wrong about gaining
personal advantage in the midst of someone else's disaster. If we
receive monetary remuneration, let it be used to cover our expenses or assist those victimized.
If we receive time in the public eye, let it be wisely used to
educate and hopefully help to mitigate loss of life. In short let us
strive to recover our sense of compassion and shared humanity with
those who are on the receiving end of what these terrible monsters
dish out. To be there and document what happens for the public
welfare is a good thing, but we must be careful to remain truthfully
centered in that intent.. And, I believe, we can stand in awe of the
dangerous power and magnificent beauty of what we see in the process.
Great post
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