We've been taking a beating from the weather here for the last 3 weeks. The rain came down so hard that it ran down our steps and under our basement door. There it proceeded to spread out and make itself comfortable in warm pools on my floor. Nothing turns a sleepy Sunday morning into a state of emergency faster than a battle with nature. A sump pump and several hundred dollars later, things were under control. Looking back over the preceeding 5 days, it seemed as though no one was in control. City and school buses were canceled, residents were warned not to travel, even the university in this town closed it doors. Parents of elementary aged students were asked not to send their kids to school as there was a chance they might not be able to collect the kids at the end of the day. Several high school students spent a night in their school as helpless parents had no way to reach them. One letter to the editor of the Prince George Citizen, lamented that in today's world there should be no reason to keep children home from school. This individual scolded the district for a shoddy attempt at occupying the few children who arrived. Has society become obsessed with the idea that people should be able to control everything in their environment? It seems to me that attempts are made through legislation, and civic law to prevent any *bad* event from happening. Seat belts, helmets, knee pads, shin pads, chest protectors, vaccines for everything, inquiries into every accident are examples of this obsession.
Even as I listened to broadcasts about the mudslide in North Vancouver, individuals were saying, "Will there be an inquiry? How can we prevent this from happening in the future?" Well, you can't. Nature happens. Our grandparents worked with nature, rather than trying to control her. One thing is for sure, they weren't stressed out about their kids missing a day of math in the middle of an ice storm.