"The Crooked Paths Made Plain"

I have a friend who is a linguist. He told me that the word, "Crisis" is made from two other words. Danger and opportunity.

When facing a crisis like the recent, "Hurricane Sandy," the danger of physical harm was obvious. Yet in situations like that there is also the danger of, "Loosing one's cool" or letting one's self be ruled by selfish motives. A healthy self centeredness is useful as a tool toward self preservation, which is one of the most basic of human drives, but when one is tempted to curse out a fellow driver for cutting in on a line for rationed gasoline, or worse yet pulls a gun on him, which was reported in the news in the midst of the storm, one's soul is damaged, which is immanently worse that any physical harm.

The "opportunity" is to get in touch with ones heroic and charitable side at times like that. I'm sure that others saw people performing acts of kindness, empathy and compassion as
I did. People were going to visit the elderly and ask if they needed anything at the supermarket, etc. There were those that took a gas can to the filling station for a friend.

At times like these one sees the best and the worse in mankind.
It has always been that way.

There is a song that was recorded by Arlo Guthrie called, "Which Side Are You On?" I have always loved that song, because it reminds me that there is a straight and narrow road and a crooked and wide road and we must choose which one will become our life's path. The one that most are traveling on, or the road less travelled. Choose wisely.