It's amazing how the physicality of 'home' in day-to-day life is so encompassing. We feel defined by our homes; they are the foundations of our personal worlds and represent so much more than just bricks and mortar.
Yet, when disaster strikes as it is at the moment in Queensland, homes really do just become bricks and mortar. Home becomes the family that is still altogether with perhaps just the clothes on their backs.
I imagine the feelings about ‘home’ for Queenslanders now would be their local community and the kindness and support of strangers. There have been endless news reports about strangers putting their own lives at risk to save others, people whose homes have swept away feeling lucky because they and their families survived.
But bricks and mortar are still necessary for us to survive. The Queensland Floods website has a page titled ‘Open Beds’ where people can offer their spare bedrooms to those who no longer have a bedroom to call their own. For more information, visit the website here.
I know some readers and followers of this blog live in Queensland and I hope you are all safe.
Photo © Sydney Morning Herald. Photographer: Dean Saffron
2 comments:
Hi G, really like this post! You are right, it's easy to get caught up in the materialistic/status side of 'home' but sometimes it's good to take a step back and remind ourselves of what is important for happiness. The kindnesses to come out of tragedy were also apparent in France and the UK last year when towns and villages were inundated. As the wonderful Dalai Lama says:
“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.” -- Jan X
Well said Jan!Although I read in the paper yesterday that psychologically the older you are the harder it is to lose your home as it becomes a memorial of your life. And it's not the expensive things, is it. It's the photos, family memorabilia etc. All that stuff which is unable to be replaced. Losing a home is devastating on so many fronts...
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