Poem: "Finding Yourself in a Crisis"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This is today's freebie. It was inspired by a prompt from my_partner_doug. It also fills the "Finding Self" square in my 9-1-21 card for the Platonic Love Fest Bingo.


"Finding Yourself in a Crisis"


You never know when
something could go wrong.

You might find yourself in
a crisis at any moment.

It could be a storm with
torrential rain or snow,
violent winds ripping up
trees to hurl about.

It could a car crash
with a dozen vehicles
smashed together and
full of screaming people.

It could be anything at all.

The key to finding yourself
in a crisis is self-awareness.

Know what you do well and
what you do poorly, what you
are willing and able to do
and what you are not.

There are three roles you
could take in an emergency:
lead, follow, or get out of the way.

Someone has to take charge
and organize the bystanders
into effective volunteers.

Others must take orders
and work together as a team.

Those who can do neither
can still help by staying calm
and quiet, clearing out so that
other people can get to work.

All three are equally valid choices;
choose the one that best suits
your personality and skills.

In an emergency, there's
no time to think, only react.

So think ahead: when things
go wrong, what will you do?

Lead, follow, or get out of the way?

Comments

[technoshaman]

I follow Elliot Seguin, a professional test pilot. He says, and several other people I follow and respect agree, that if you're doing it right, all the hard decisions get made before you ever get in the cockpit. If an engine packs it in before this speed, we shut everything down and brake like crazy. If something goes awry after this speed (and there are still enough engines left to fly) we're going flying period paragraph. If the aircraft exhibits X behaviour we're bailing out. (Test pilots wear parachutes for a reason.)

This is very similar thinking. I remember doing it during the Nisqually quake. I'd never physically practiced it, but I knew what I was gonna do if something hit b/c I'd played it out in my head...and when the quake hit, it was "drill mode."

So, yeah. This is L-space thinking too.

Also: Never underestimate, in a long crisis, the importance of the people bringing in hydration and nourishment. Just showing up with meal bars and Gatorade, or hot coffee and stew, or whatever when people need fuel to keep digging people out? Like diamonds.

[siliconshaman]

Those that handle support & logistics, supplies in, people out... are also heroes, albeit often unrecognised.

Personally, I prefer that. I'll let someone else do the flashy dangerous stuff. I'll be organising tea and food for anyone not needing treatment etc.