Thanks to our own experience and the countless facebook status updates, twitters, and news reports it is no secret that for most Oklahomans yesterday morning’s earthquake was their first, myself included. As I stared bewildered at the shaking walls of my house I had the disconcerting realization of how little control I actually possess. I was simply amazed as I realized there was nothing I did to cause this earthquake and there was certainly nothing I could do to stop it. Admittedly this earthquake pales in comparison to those experienced frequently by Californians. Nevertheless I spent the day pretty shaken up. No, not because of the few seconds my house was actually shaking but because the deceitful veil of control society likes to place over my eyes was briefly removed. I was left vulnerable to something out of my hands.
As humans we pretty much like to be in control all the time. As Americans we like to control anything and everything we can-our climate, our diet, our economy, our job, our circumstances and especially our comfort. This desire to control isn't inherently bad until we actually believe that we have control. This is a sure route to a rude awakening. I also couldn’t help but wonder how the people in Haiti felt as their world came crashing down. What did it feel like? What did it sound like? While my experience yesterday is no doubt incomparable to that of the Haitians I do feel like I saw for the first time the futility of man’s desire to control. I realized that in a moment everything can change.
