My facebook newsfeed has been abuzz for two days about Atlanta's snowpocalypse. It seems that Good Samaritans have popped up all throughout the I-75, I-85 and I-20 corridors. Thousands were stuck in a snowy, icy gridlock. Good neighbors opened their homes to stranded travelers and gave rides to complete strangers. Prayers reverberated throughout the Southeast. Even Chipper Jones got in on the action -- he rescued his pal Freddie Freeman via snow mobile. Way to go 1-0!!!
It's good to know Southern hospitality still exists. Let's hope it lasts. The good deeds of so many people in the last two days should be commended. Thousands of people, through no fault of their own, were left vulnerable, helpless, and scared. And with great empathy, Atlantans responded with acts of kindness.
Will this be a stopping point or a jumping-off-point? It seems that no thought was given to zip code or race or creed or sexuality or any other distinguishing factor when people offered safety to their neighbors. Snow and ice were social equalizers. Will Atlantans (and the rest of us too) show the same kindness and empathy for future storms? Long after the ice of this storm has melted, thousands of people will still be trapped daily in storms of hunger, homelessness, illness, depression, addiction, and chronic poverty. And for the great majority of these victims, the storm will sneak up on them, leaving them vulnerable, unprepared, helpless and afraid.
In the days ahead, we can choose to live with an ongoing sense of empathy, the kind that calls us to be full-time Good Samaritans. Martin Luther King reminds us of a key truth of the famous parable. The Good Samaritan responded to needs of his neighbor by asking a question: "What will happen to my neighbor if I don't help him?"
On Tuesday and Wednesday, thousands of good people asked the same question. May their example inspire us to ask the same question today, and the next day, and the next.
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