by The Original Maverick

Created on: December 14, 2006   Last Updated: April 17, 2012

Here we are in wintertime again and we all know the dangers of the elements. Recently there was the sad story of the family who took a wrong turn in Oregon and survived for days in the snowy wilderness as the husband met his death valiantly trying to get help. The search went on for days and it was a somewhat happy ending as at least the family made it as the husband would have wished. As I write this there is another search party out for mountain climbers on Mt. Hood in Oregon. These people look to be in a dire situation but hopefully there can be a miracle. They are of a different category as they are basically thrill seekers, and perhaps reckless. Still they are human beings and the search goes on.

Over the years I have noticed that this becomes a trend, humans going all out trying to find and save other humans, often because of their own negligence. At enormous cost I may add. There are dozens and dozens of cases each year. And it's not always just in winter. There are floods and fires and people getting lost year round. And it amazes me the efforts and the resources put out along with the human spirit which often will not let up. They search as if it's their own. And that is the truth. We are all each others responsibility. And it warms your heart to watch, especially when the effort saves someone. So my question, or the punch line here is, What makes these people any more special than the freezing homeless who die each night? Many with young children who are displaced and hurting.

Where is that massive effort? Yes I know we have shelters and agencies but where is the effort that the lost family got in Oregon. There were as many as 25 helicopters in the air and the search and man hours went upwards of a million dollars. I'm glad they were safe, the husband died heroically but are they better people than the disenfranchised poor who many are roaming the streets freezing every night? I'm really not trying to be cynical here. Just pointing out the daily occurrences we see time and time again and wonder why choppers aren't landing for the poor as well. Trucks and medical units roaming the streets as they do the wintry mountainsides searching for well to do people. Priorities. And effort. That's what I'm pointing out here. What does it say about us as a society that we go through hell and high water to save people of means but see the daily carnage of our poor and act like it's acceptable. God bless the Red Cross and the shelters and churches who keep our disenfranchised with their heads barely above water. I wonder what we could accomplish as a society with a reexamination of our priorities.

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