Enjoy it while it lasts

-- Paul Learned

Will the spirit of cooperation between Bill Clinton and George Bush trickle down into Congress? We see this happen every once in a while in politics, and it is always fun to watch, for the simple reason that people in government actually get along for a change. Do I think this will be permanent? I have to say, in the long run, no.

Disasters on the scale of the recent tsunami tend to bring out the best in people no matter who they are. We pour money into relief, we send volunteers to provide basic services, we provide doctors to care for the injured, we give food to the victims, we offer clothing for those that have lost everything, and when I say we, I mean everyone—all nations without exception.

It is times like these when we can look at our government and lose a little bit of our cynicism and be proud of what it can accomplish.

Be that as it may, once the crisis is over, people tend to revert to previous attitudes. No matter how rosy the lenses are right now, in six months time we will be back to where we were before the tsunami. Not a pleasant thought, but a truthful one in my book.

For example, we only need to look at disasters on our own shores: Hurricane Andrew, the major earthquake in California in 1994, and September 11. Granted none of these were on the scale of the recent tidal wave, but all were powerful events, in and of themselves. These events made us forget differences for a short time and work together. In each case, in a relatively short amount of time, things were back to normal with both sides calling each other names.

We have grown so divided that it will take a major reality check to bring the two sides into harmony again. Disasters that occur overseas and here at home can temporarily bind us together, but ultimately, once the danger is over, people get back to arguing.

Contact Paul Learned for comment or with questions at learnepa@go.metrostate.edu

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