It doesn't take much insight to know that smaller mistakes can lead to bigger mistakes. What an epiphany. Have you proffered any solutions to these "calamities?" Otherwise, you're just making noise.
I think you could use more precise language. The mudslide in Papa New Guinea was a calamity. COVID-19 was a calamity. The war in Ukraine was calamity. The January 6 insurrection was (maybe) a calamity. The Madagascar drout was a calamity. The massive flooding in Lybia and earthquakes in Turkey and Haiti were calamities. The tsunami and nuclear meltdown in Japan was a calamity. Hurricane Katrina was a calamity. So was 911 and the 2008 Super Tuesday Tornado Outbreak were calamities. Point is, they are usually a singular, measurable event causing widespread destruction, often if a natural origin. You could say that, for example, the engineers failing to ensure the buildings in Turkey were built to proper earthquake standards was a mistake that led to disastrous consequence, but the precipitous of the calamity was the earthquake. The lack of building standards only exacerbated the calamity.
If it's
such an epiphany, why did you neglect to mention that salient sauciness until you -apparently- felt yourself backed into a corner?
I agree with you. You cite some good examples. So, again, I'm gonna go ahead and ask you the question you didn't answer yet. How, precisely, do you "feel" that you and I disagree on the definition of a "calamity"?
I'll wax
ramptious* on how I "feel" about such happenings. (*I made up that word, btw. it's a delicious combo platter of rapacious and sumptuous. just so's you know.)
Of the items you mentioned, most were man-made, at least ultimately. Some were apriori "natural". The issue around "natural" obviously being, were those calamities truly natural, like the earthquake(s)? Somewhat natural? Or purely man-made? I mean, in the case of FukUsALLShima, the earthquake WAS natural, but the resultant nuclear plant meltdown was clearly a function of typical human ineptitude (due to a massive failure of imagination and statistical analysis related to an adequate threat analysis regarding the plant).
The Madagascar drought ("drout": see above) was perhaps a naturally occurring vicissitude of weather. Then again, it easily might have been based on the fact that the Agulhas Current in the Indian Ocean has grown increasing FUBAR the last 30 years because of global warming and resultant sea-temperature changes (BTW, that's the same current that has VSF'd the annual east-African sardine run). So, who knows on that one. Same with Hurricane Katrina and every other future hurricane - in regards to both amplitude and frequency. Hurricanes have always happened, but we know for sure they are getting way more frequent and intense due to more heat (if you speak Physics, Heat=Energy). This goes for any and all weather events (flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, straight-line winds, etc, etc.) I'll leave it to your rarified perspicacity to determine what
you think is the underlying - if not
direcly connectable - cause for the increase in amplitude and frequency of all that chaos and destruction. Dare I say... "Disruption"?? Lol, not lol.
The J6 Insurection? Yup, calamity. Yup, purely man-made. Yup, purely illegal. Yup, purely insane and self-harming. Yup, purely based on a chisler's gas-lighting of the most vulnerable, underinformed and suggestible in our society. Very insidious. Very evil. Still, ALL man-made.
The Earthquake in Turkey? Well, again, not the earthquake itself. That's naturally occuring. That's a known threat that we KNOW will happen; We just don't know when. The horrendous "calamity" that resulted??? Yup, calamity. Almost entirely caused by a thoroughly corrupted governent system (not structure, but system). The City Government of Antakya?? President Erdogan?? •-oshimingly spherically corrupt. Deals cut. Payments made. This is precisely the kind of chaos and horror we can expect right here in 'Murica if His Great Orangeness actually convinces enough idiots to vote for him next November. Erdogan hollowed out state institutions. He placed loyalists in key positions. He enriched his cronies. Erdogon's mafia ways - like a D9 - paved the way for the tragic calamity.
So, after all that, what is your question? By implication of your diminishment of my original question to you, is your present question: "Am I worthy? Have I ever done anything - myself- to make the world a better place?" I can say yes to that, in multitudes. And, you'll just have to believe me. I'm not going to tell you precsisely what, because that would "out" me.
Or, is your question -still - do you and I differ in our definition of "calamity"?
I think not, my friend. Not much, anyway. I might ascribe to "calamity" a more ferocious servity than I take you to do. I consider calamities to be, perhaps, more unrecoverable events than you seem to. I take you to see them more as garden variety distasters. Still, I think we're on the same page, or at least in the same chapter and verse.. Me, personally? I've never doubted that.
My concern isn't that disasters happen from time to time. My concern is that we - YOU, I, US - are knowingly continuing to act in furtherance of the frequency and amplitude of those distasters and not very worried 'cause, you know, we're gettin' paid, buyin' drinks, and gettin' laid. And, we've got bitchin' rides, dude!
Who cares if we burn the atmosphere off the earth? We'll be dead by then anyway!
