Standing against the attitude of un~gratitude

I find it compellingly shameful that any person in receipt of compassionate aid from other human beings cannot manage to muster an iota of sincere thanks for the efforts of an entire nation. Instead, choosing to spew scathing belittlement of all of us who are giving of themselves wholeheartedly because we love God and seek to help humanity, they demonstrate an unbelievable attitude of UNgratitude.

"To my country I want to say this: During this crisis you failed us. You looked down on us; you dismissed our victims; you dismissed us. You want our Jazz Fest, you want our Mardi Gras, you want our cooking and our music. Then when you saw us in real trouble, when you saw a tiny minority preying on the weak among us, you called us "Sin City," and turned your backs. ~ novelist and New Orleans resident Anne Rice

This blasting statement (full text of article is linked) is not directed at our President or amorphous "government", but at YOU and at ME. How does it meet your heart?

I'll tell you how it meets mine. Sadly. Praise God that Ms. Rice is not the spokeswoman for the humanity and deeply embedded spirit of the hurricane survivors and all of us who are rising up to meet the challenge this natural disaster has presented us.

Consider the contrast between Ms. Rice's utterance and the true stories of the human beings who are RISING ABOVE the floodwaters and not content to wade amidst the putrid muck that swirls around this hurricane response fistfight like the stagnant watery sludge that still remains blanketed over 60% of New Orleans.

Consider Ms. Anya Maddox, whose spirit inspires me and embodies what I would hope America still stands for. Ms. Maddox, you are an inspiration. God Bless you and keep you safe.

Or John Wallace of Beaumont, Texas. This is his letter to NPR.org:

"When the levees broke, so went our hearts. Our beloved New Orleans, will she ever be the same? Will our collective spirit be able to absorb the funk, soul and mystery that was New Orleans until she is rebuilt? Let us not pass judgment on desperate people. Let us open our arms to the victims and after the sad dirge of grief will come the jaunty jazz march of renewal. God bless New Orleans. God bless us all."

Or Diana Cantello, the precious stranger who has opened her home to Dmitri Kachov and his mother for the last nine days. Dmitri's survivor story is tinged with love and gratitude, counting his blessings rather than lamenting other's shortcomings...

"Dmitri Kachkov, a 35-year-old man who uses a wheelchair due to extreme physical disabilities, knows about hardship -- his family became refugees from Russia in 1997 and moved here. When Katrina made them refugees again, they expected to sleep in their van. Just before the storm hit, Kachkov and his parents drove north and took refuge in a roadside truck stop. Then a stranger -- Diana Cantello of Gramercy, Louisiana -- invited them to stay at her home. "My mother cried at such unexpected hospitality," Kachkov said. They spent nine days and nights at Cantello's home, where a mother and her two children had also been invited to stay.
"Then yesterday it was my mother's 69th birthday and they baked her a cake and bought her small presents. My mother never expected such kindness, especially during this disaster," Kachkov said on Monday after his family returned to Metairie, Louisiana, to see how damaged their rental apartment was." (cnn.com)

Or Klara Cvitanovich, the ower of Drago's Seafood Restaurant, also of Grammercy, LA:

Since the storm raged more than a week ago, five employees of this upscale eatery have lived on the premises to protect it from looters who have destroyed businesses across the city. Then on Monday the restaurant reopened, serving charred chicken on pasta with a Cajun marinara sauce and ice-cold water -- a rare luxury in this city in recent days. The food was free to anyone who wanted it. "We have decided that we will serve free food as long as our resources last, probably until we give away $20,000 of free food," said owner Klara Cvitanovich, 66, who came here from Croatia in her youth, was also shipping food out to poor neighborhoods. "I can honestly say I have lived the American dream, and now I have to give something back," she said. (cnn.com)

My entire being is incalcuably humbled by the heart of the people whose fightening experiences, sufferings, and trauma over the last 10 days has not dampened their undaunted spirit of hope, love, honor, courage, positivity, and thankfulness. These people need to be running our government. I would vote for any one of them in spades. It is THIS kind of spirit we need to adopt, promote, live and breathe as our own.

For those whose voices find themselves more in line with Ms. Rice on this matter, I say this: whatever we do, whatever we offer, whatever we give, whatever we say, whatever we ARE is just never enough for some people who share our earth, but not our soul.