Your True Friends

Everyone knows the saying "You know who your true friends are when you're down," which basically means that when you are going through a tough time, there are people who truly care about you and they will be there to support you, revealing who your real friends are.

Watching the outpouring of love and support for those impacted by the wildfires in LA is truly inspiring. It restores my faith in humanity. Its awesome and truly divine. Strangers helping virtual strangers. People from foreign towns, states and countries are flocking towards the areas impacted by this awful tragedy. It is a beautiful thing to watch at a rather ugly time. I recall a similar moment during 9/11. All politics and divisions were set aside and we as a human species joined forces, united.

I've experienced some tough moments in my life, and while they were extremely difficult, I recall clearly the people who rallied around me, supported me and helped me recover. They were awesome. I also quite clearly recall those that were silent or disappeared. I recall a few that were critical. While tough times are horrible, awful, they also offer us a great gift in helping us identify what people are truly made of.

Sadly, right now at a time when our fellow humans are suffering horribly, amongst the majority offering support and empathy, are an ugly, vile contingency pointing fingers, yelling, price-gouging and profiteering, looting, blaming, posting-for-profit-or-power, etc at a time when this is completely uncalled for. It's truly reprehensible. There is - and should be - a time to take complete, accurate inventory to identify blame, weaknesses, failures, successes, potential solutions and alternatives, etc, but that time should never be in the midst of a devastating storm, whether a fire, hurricane, flood or tornado.

This moment is, however, providing us all a wonderful gift: the gift of identifying exactly who and what some people are truly made of based on their words and actions (not hearsay or interpretation). Their true colors, their moral compass. Take note. Watch and listen closely. Some will attempt to rewrite this moment in history to relieve their consciences for some truly lousy behaviors. Some won't.

In every crisis, there are some who seek profit, power and abusive opportunity: others seek wisdom. Choose the wisdom part.