The Best of Us

The recent events in Baltimore, West Cork, notwithstanding the obvious grief and loss, have again demonstrated the strength of our sense of community, and inherent desire to reach out to others.

It was incredible to hear about those eighty divers converging on Baltimore from all across the country, responding to a mothers’ need to find her sons’ body. And then the provision of accommodation, food, the inevitable unending rounds of tea, the gratitude and hospitality… This is indeed Ireland at it’s best, and the kind of response we have come to expect in times of crisis. If only we could sustain that selflessness, the concern for others, the generosity of time and resources, without the impetus of a tragedy.

A few years ago, in Cape Town with the Niall Mellon township trust, I witnessed desperate poverty, shanty towns, total absence of water and sanitary facilities, and heard about young children raped because men believed that sex with a virgin would save them from AIDS.  I swore during that trip that I would find a way to sustain a perspective on life that included those communities with so little hope and so many smiles; that I would hold onto the recognition that health and the people we love far outweigh what we earn or the price of our houses; and I committed to maintaining a perspective on life that took into account the diversity of resources, and the assumptions we so often make about what our lives should look like.

It’s hard to hold onto that big picture though, in the hum drum of every day life. The people of Baltimore rose above that in this last week, and no doubt if, God forbid, tragedy strikes any of our communities, we too will step back, recognise what we truly value and act accordingly. Isn’t it such a pity we have to wait for sadness and loss to knock on our door to realise what’s important?