(ThyBlackMan.com) The recent hurricanes in America have ripped lives apart from Florida to Texas. Then, there are the storms in the UK which are causing floods and battering homes. If that isn’t enough, global warming is slowly chipping away the ice caps and increasing water levels. Disasters are everywhere at the moment and millions of people are being affected.
But, apart from the state of the planet, what else can we learn from natural disasters? Here are four things they tell us about the condition of humanity in 2017.
Togetherness
As soon as a new report hits the airwaves, people are on social media creating hashtags. At the moment, #MeToo is trending around the 
world. And, #JeSuisCharlie was a massive hit after the Paris attacks. Okay, it may not be a charitable donation which involves money, but it’s still a huge deal. There is a myth that today’s society is too preoccupied with itself to care about anyone else. By going online, humanity is showing the world it empathises with the plights of others. Listening and understanding the problem is the first step in finding a solution.
Minority Over The Majority
When something terrible happens, it’s easy to lash out and generalise about the people involved. Another Islamic terrorist incident? That means all Muslims are awful people. Women get exploited in the workplace? Men are the scourge of the earth who can’t keep their hands (and other things) in the pockets. Of course, whenever anything wrong happens, it’s usually the view of the minority. Yes, terrorists and male exploiters exist, but to say they encompass the whole demographic is a leap. Thankfully, the majority of people don’t subscribe to this pattern of thought.
Money Isn’t Everything
As the saying goes, money makes the world spin. Again, it’s easy to generalise and stereotype people. Take entrepreneurs and big businesses as examples. All they want to do is make money at the expense of hard-working individuals, right? Wrong, and recent events show why. Bad weather has plagued the South of America recently, and citizens need help. The Issa Asad Sun Sentinel piece on Q Link Wireless shows companies are putting profits to one side. From Fort Lauderdale to Deerfield Beach, big firms are putting their money where their mouths are for the sake of the less fortunate.
Adapt And Survive
Humanity isn’t always up to date when new threats arise. The effects of global warming have been apparent for decades, yet much is the same. However, even though societies have been naïve, they still adapt. In the summer, a plethora of countries came together to sign the Paris Treaty Accords. Considering China has been against cutting emissions, it’s a massive step forward. Even with the US pulling out, the deal will go ahead and the world will be a cleaner and safer place. Humanity survives because it evolves and becomes stronger and smarter.
Although it isn’t evident, disasters do have silver linings. In fact, they have four.
Staff Writer; Larry James
