Monday, the Associated Press released a brief explaining that four people had been arrested for theft in Henryville, Ind. The four were being charged with stealing scrap metal in the tornado-ravaged town. On the surface this doesn't really seem like much of a story, but I think it helps to highlight something: how easily our society can break down.
I don't think I've ever felt more humbled than when I went to Henryville. I had never seen the town before the tornado hit it, and in all honesty, I can't imagine what it was before. All I can picture when I hear of Henryville is destruction, the kind of destruction that makes you realize how small we are.
I drove the hour and half to Henryville from my home over Spring Break to get some pictures that I was hoping to sell to the Associated Press or any news agency that would take them. While I was there, I was constantly aware of the military presence that had shown up to help keep the peace and order while clean up operations were happening. I admit now that I wasn't observant enough to tell if they were National Guard or full blown Army, but I knew they were there. Armored vehicles were parked in the center of town, a Black Hawk helicopter buzzed in the sky almost constantly and multiple soldiers stood on every back street.
"Curfew is in 15 minutes, so if I were you I'd get out of here," a sergeant told me when I asked if I could go to their command post.
"What happens after curfew?"
"We stop being nice," replied the sergeant. He then chuckled, got in a truck and drove away.
For all intents and purposes the city was under martial law. Once the six o'clock curfew hit, military personnel had the power to arrest any person who did not have permission to be in neighborhoods they were patrolling. The center of the city was still for the most part open, but the side streets and outer neighborhoods had been closed down.
We like to think that as a society we can hold together fairly well when stuff hits the fan, but history proves time and time again that we simply can't. The best example of this would be what happened in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Everyday the nation watched as one of the most famous cities in the country turned into a lawless third world nation. Those in charge learned their lesson from that. Humans are animals. And they will, if given the chance, revert back to their animal instinct.
Now, it's obviously insane to compare Henryville to New Orleans and the destruction of Katrina. And, let's be serious, it's only four people stealing scrap metal which is definitely not the worst crime in the world. But it is an interesting thing to consider.
The idea of us keeping our savage natures at bay is the basis of our entire system of government, but the presence of a military at disaster zones, for the purpose of keeping the peace, goes to show that we are no where close to being able to do that when the test really comes. Of course, there is also the idea that we are willing to give up our rights as citizens to stay safe.
At any other time I would have vehemently protested the idea that I could have been arrested for simply standing in the street past a certain time of day. However when confronted with this situation, I was more than happy to oblige. Sacrificing rights for safety is not new, and we do it everyday, especially when we basically show our naked bodies to the wonderful TSA at the airport. But how much are we willing to sacrifice? And on the other hand, are we civilized enough to think that we should even be able to make that decision?
Of course I could just be thinking too deep into this.
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