Preparing for the perfect storm

I use the phrase “perfect storm” with frequency, yet, before putting it in print, I had to look it up to be certain of its meaning.

Apparently it is not the modern cliche I assumed it to be. Its use can be traced back as far as 1718.

Wikipedia says that a perfect storm is an expression describing an event where the rare convergence of circumstances aggravates the situation drastically. It suggests that the confluence of otherwise disjointed forces results in an event of extraordinary magnitude.

It is popular to suggest that perfect storms call for “drastic measures.” When a situation becomes intolerable, almost any remedy is entertained to severely and immediately correct it.

On one hand, who would argue against such action? One cannot sit idly by and allow a perfect storm to wreak havoc. On the other hand, drastic measures seldom take into account the root causes of the storm.

They attack the current symptoms without addressing the factors that converged to cause the problem in the first place. In fact, sometimes drastic measures cause almost as much damage as the storm itself.

I need to insert that I am not suggesting the solution is one or the other. It is senseless to focus only on root causes if the current symptoms are killing you.

To quote the old adage, when you’re up to your butt in alligators, it’s hard to remember your initial objective was to drain the swamp. The alligators must be dealt with. But ultimately, so must the swamp.

A number of forces have converged around us causing debates like this to torment me. Unprecedented drug overdose deaths have resulted in drastic measures, such as the institution of safe injection sites.

So many children have been showing up at school unfed that many districts have had to implement breakfast and hot lunch programs.

In our city, so many individuals remain homeless that a municipal bylaw had to be enacted to prohibit sleeping on city streets.

In spite of unparalleled education about caring for our environment, so many individuals continue to dump their waste behind any bush they can find that cameras have been installed in the bushes.

The elevation of my rights and privileges above everything and everyone else has resulted in government needing to institute harsher and harsher penalties to curb such selfish behaviour as distracted or drunk driving.

I am astute enough to acknowledge that if there were simple solutions to these and other issues, those solutions would have been implemented long ago.

I am also aware enough to realize that there does not yet seem to be a communal will to deal with root causes. We have not yet seemed to figure out that it is impossible to have rights and privileges without corresponding responsibility and accountability.

Jesus of Nazareth, the founder of my faith, gave what has come to be known as the most powerful sermon ever preached. We usually label it The Sermon On The Mount. At its conclusion, he gave this analogy. Two builders built houses. One took all the short cuts he could get away with to maximize profits and built his house on the sand. The other did the hard work of digging down to a solid rock foundation. It was time consuming and expensive.

Then, said Jesus, the perfect storm hit. The rain came down, the streams rose up and the winds blew and beat against both houses. One house crashed sensationally, and one house stood strong.

While taking necessary, immediate drastic measures to deal with the issues currently plaguing us, I suggest it is also time to re-examine our very foundations because I doubt that we’ve seen the last perfect storm.

Tim Schroeder is a pastor at Trinity Baptist Church.