Stories Wrought by Volcanoes

When I was flying in from Washington DC to Copenhagen on 12 April I asked to sit on the left-hand side of the aircraft in the hope of seeing the volcanic activity at Fimmvorduhals in Iceland. Little did I know that there would be such a powerful eruption only days later at Eyjafjallajoküll. This event started an avalanche of stories that will be told for the next couple of years by thousands of people directly touched by it.
I was alerted to the fact that I may not be able to catch my planned flight back to South Africa by a travel companion. I looked at the people around me and while a lightness filled my heart I responded with a simple “Fantastic!”. An act of God stranded me in my happy place! I was in Sweden. My family was safe in New Zealand, my dog was happily lounging at Xantah Kennels in South Africa and my house was locked up, lawn spritely growing with the recent rains, and my pool was filled with a chemical cocktail guaranteed to outlive anything. I considered my credit card balance and realised my company sent me here in the first place. I would keep the extra cost to a minimum, work on my projects (I do a lot of individual stuff in any case) and use my free time to experience Stockholm and maybe even more. And I did just that. Some of the images I captured are shown at my Picasa site and on FaceBook. I put one here at the top - it touched me deeply.
But back to my story: you know, I learned other things. For example, we all tend to handle a crisis in our own ways. It is clear that it is a function of how we see and experience life. Is the glass half full.... Can you adjust your sails to the changing winds, or do you look for the outboard? Can you see opportunity in adversity? Do you need others to have sympathy with your plight, or can you help others even when you are taking strain?
I saw so many pictures on TV of people complaining, of people insisting on support, of people blaming others, most of them at an airport, stranded during or after a long expensive holiday. There were others. The couple that got married in Singapore, where the hotel owner heard that they were on their way to be married in Europe, were accommodated by the same hotel owner, who organised a wedding for them there, and invited all his stranded guests to the wedding. That is a worthwhile story!
The elderly couple from Australia were only happy to be on TV so they could let their children know that they are out of pocket but ok, and happy. That is the story of two people that have seen it all and have nothing to lose but life and each other - and they smile.
Yes, there were immediately some stories of people losing millions and claiming someone should pay, there were growers of vegetables for Europe in Kenia that said they would have to throw the food away and looked for compensation - while the food could just as well feed the hungry in that pitiful place. Everywhere there were people trying to play cards that they did not hold. Innocent people at hotel desks were crapped on, tour operators were told how they should go out of business, and yes, some people did not do their jobs, I know, but in a way, this was way beyond us.
Now, I want you to think about the people and animals in Iceland. Imagine the situation there. How are the farmers going to feed their animals; the air is toxic, the soil is toxic, the water is toxic? Who can they blame? God? The planet? Global warming? Does it make sense that those who only have to wait to be shipped home should take up 90% of the news coverage? Should the world not react like in Haiti?
No!
Maybe the people in Iceland are proud and brave and used to making it work, regardless. Maybe they never rely on hand-outs. Maybe God blessed them with the right attitude to handle volcanoes. Maybe they are the lucky ones. Maybe they have the real stories to tell. And maybe they represent the true spirit of man!
I could not get rights to show the pictures on my page that I wanted you to see. Unless you are a large business you do not deal with Reuters or their photographers, I guess. But do yourselves a favour and surf over to this website.
This was the one picture that tore my heart out. We have such a special link with these animals. While I was writing this, I was listening to some music from Iceland. The artist is Jónsi and the CD is called “Go”. I love the first track and the lyrics - well, check it out here. Jónsi is the frontman of the Icelandic band Sigur Rós. For those with a sense of adventure - Go Do!