REFLECTIONS
REFLECTIONS: RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY!
AUTHOR Teresita Bacani-Oropilla, MD
each life, some rain must fall”
is a poetic yet enigmatic quote.
There are gentle rains that end
with rainbows. Some rains freshen
the hot, humid air that sends
children to their hoses or neighborhood
pools, and families to “Into
the beaches, to play and cool off. Rain waters
the farms, that nourish the seeds, that bring out the produce, that
feed the people of our earth.
People rely on it, expect it like a friend, plan their lives around it.
When it fails to appear, they try to lure it with rain dances, prayers,
seeding the clouds: anything to persuade the skies to drop their
life-giving moisture to our parched earth. If its lack is predictable,
as in modern times, people anticipate by conserving water until
the rains deign to return.
On the other hand, rain can be cruel. The fury of rains inundating
deforested areas sends huge mudslides rolling down the mountain,
sweeping away what modern civilization had insisted on building.
Toppling expensive mountain homes and towns, and breaking
down dams meant to protect farms, livestock and people, the rain’s
devastation is great. Gushing creeks and brooks conspire to join
and rush pell-mell into rivers, surging over the banks and into the
streets. These waters show us the other side of the coin from drought.
But, like a wall of water, are we, Homo sapiens, people of wisdom,
floundering in a torrent of discordant ideals and actions? Have we
actually gone blind to our own needs and the needs of others? We
could have heeded and corrected our mistakes, could have listened
better, could have believed earlier, and worked hard together in
cooperation. We could have moved mountains of obstacles to the
prosperity and equality of all. Now, do we continue to deforest our
mountains of courage, morality and good will to men?
Are we aware these are not gentle rains we are facing? They are
ominous clouds – the lethal virus and the equally lethal injustices
– that can turn into storms, devastating generations to follow. We
could say, “Rain, rain, go away, come again another day,” because
big Homo sapiens wants to play: “fix it.”
Let’s fix this now. We can all do something about it: but will
we?
Dr. Bacani-Oropilla is a retired psychiatrist.
10 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE