Thoughts On Christchurch – 03/02/2011

I’m not really sure where to start on this, as I’m not really sure where to start on so many things, but I feel the need to say something.

This morning, our Captain sent out an email ship-wide containing before and after pictures of Christchurch NZ, and I was stunned for a reaction….you don’t want to believe it, when you see things like this, when you see evidence of lives simply torn apart, ripped out from underneath the people living them as if they were so much carpet during an unexpected renovation.

Some of you may know that my ship was in fact in Christchurch NZ recently, only 11 days before tragedy struck down so much of what was once a beautiful city. I, myself, didn’t see any of it, I didn’t have my picture taken in front of the Cathedral, didn’t see any of the heritage buildings, in fact, I never set foot there. I was relegated to IPM (for those of you who have never lived below the waterline, IPM is short for In Port Manning, the skeleton emergency crew that is kept on board every port, the duty of who stays and who goes rotates, Christchurch it was my turn to stay). My fellow crew members though, came back bearing tales of how beautiful the place was, how friendly the people were, and there were reams of photographs in the gallery that evening that upheld that verdict.

My thinking at the time was that surely one day another contract would bring me back to NZ, and I would have a chance to see the sights then. They had stood for years, they would still be standing when I returned in a few months – or even a few years – time.

How could any of us have known?

If there is one thing that this should teach all of us, it’s perhaps this: no matter how strong we are, or how long we have been around, the world in which we live, the planet to which we by necessity give our trust, is always going to be stronger. No one can predict when something will happen to knock down our monuments, our superstores, our heritage and our pride.

My heart and prayers go out to the residents of Christchurch, and everyone else effected by this and any other type of disaster, whether man-made or natural, I hope that they can pick up the pieces and reconstruct their lives as best as possible in the aftermath of such devastation.

To the rest of us, those of us fortunate enough to live lives that are untouched by such tragedy: Remember to live every day as if it were your last, because one day, everything might change.

Bright Blessings,
Shaughnessy