Friday, August 13, 2004

Take Care

When you're driving home, when you go out tonight, when you debate wingnuts, when you read pointless propaganda. But especially take care if you live in Florida where Charley plans to land.

Taking care is a good thing. I wish that more people took care when they open their mouths publicly, I wish that U.S. journalists took care before they auction off their consciences, I wish, oh how I wish, that we could breed a new type of politicians with both values and spunk.

Taking care sometimes means stopping, taking a break, and asking: "Where is my life going? Is that where I want to go?" Taking care may mean asking the questions that nobody asks or stating the obvious that somehow has become mysteriously difficult. Taking care means seeing a world in trouble and deciding not to contribute to this trouble but instead deciding to be the lone voice in the wilderness if needed, or deciding to go out and find those others who are also taking care.

Taking care means being safe, yes, but it also means knowing that sometimes to be safe we must first stand up and act, even if this looks unsafe. So if you are in a dangerous place (on the route of a hurricane or in a country falling apart), the first step may well be a daring one, one that looks frighteningly unsafe, yet ultimately the step that will lead you to safety.