When the tragic events of that day began to come across the television I was knee deep in my morning housework routine. I could hear the television but not clearly enough to tell what they were saying. I could tell by the tone however, that something important was happening so I left my chore to go into the living room. My eyes were glued to the screen in disbelief and shock. As the news got worse and worse and stories of more possible terrorist planes in the skies were mentioned I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. My son was in first grade at a new school built in close proximity to the backside of Orlando International Airport. I panicked and drove over there and scooped him up lest there were any incidents involving the planes there.
On that day, in that hour I became a different person. I began to prepare. I have been what some call a prepper ever since. Did I know what I was prepping for?? Nope, aside from war on American soil. It has come to pass in these last couple of years, though not from other nations wishing to invade, but from our own disillusioned citizens and the cartel that is our own government. That old saying don't foul your own nest should apply here but still we constantly see people burning and looting their very own neighborhoods. I don't get it!
I appreciate you sharing your story Tamara! I'm sure you were absolutely terrified for your family.
I think my reality started to be reframed during the whole Y2k scare. I began to think about what were to happen if all the things we take for granted like our food supply, water, and power were to become suddenly unavailable. That was the first thing to shake me from my slumber. 9/11 and all of the events that came after only solidified it.
The closest we came to fleeing with a bug out bag came last spring during the riots in St. Paul, MN after the George Floyd killing. People were withdrawing all their money from banks and anyone with a cabin up north or another place to go left. Our city is still horribly unsafe and those in power don't seem to think the safety of its citizens is a priority. The only people I've noticed trying to make a difference are private citizens with the means to spark some kind of change.
If this division continues to grow there will be a mass exodus from US cities. I fear many of our cities will end up like Detroit, burned-out shells that will take decades to rebuild. I understand people's frustrations but I wish we all would use that energy constructively to work together towards real and lasting change. America has a super complicated set of problems to overcome. Some of the people who set fires here weren't even from Minnesota but had traveled from hundreds of miles away to incite violence. I feel for people who don't have the means to escape situations like that. My family was stuck in a dangerous neighborhood in the 80's when the crack epidemic exploded in the Midwest. It wasn't fun. These kinds of things are always a million times more complex than what the news reports.
Fear is one of the great motivators. It becomes even more powerful when a major event happens in your own backyard. I can only imagine your fear for your family during the riots in St. Paul. I would most likely have been one of those who took to the north.
Those in power have such a different agenda than we do. Our safety is of no concern to them contrary to what we are told. Being an ordinary citizen in a sea of ordinary citizens, I swim through my day to days without giving much thought to government officials or those in power. At least that's how it used to be and Lord, how I miss those days.
You are so right...the people are the answer. We are the change, but only if we stop going in a million different directions. If we could only agree to go in the same direction, our numbers would be so strong that we would most assuredly make progress toward a better life for all. The wedges they keep driving into the population is certainly fracturing the resolve of those who find it easier to cave than to stand.
Stay strong!
Fear is the best motivator. The riots and that feeling of vulnerability changed how I view life in the city, any city really. It's incredible how quickly civilized society can dissolve. For the first time in my life I feel the urge to buy some acreage and build my own home.
It's true, those in power don't care because they live in a completely different world than we do. Somehow we need to pull them back into our world.
Thanks for your comments. I hope you and yours stay strong as well!