By Torist Mark
The visuals we see on the TV screen of the devastation and havoc the recent earthquake caused in the southern cities of Turkey and northern Syria is beyond description and imagination. The trails of human suffering, anguish, shock and trauma it left behind inconceivable. It’s heart breaking when we see a mother crying in a state of shock as all her family members have died. You see innocent children and seven-day old babies being pulled out of the debris. One cannot watch these visuals without our eyes getting moist with tears of sympathy and compassion. A lonely father sat on the concrete slab holding his head and seemed to say to himself, “Why God? Why? My wife and all my children have gone. What’s the use of this life now?” The age-old question why good people have to suffer has no answer except the theological answer that we live in a fallen world.
Man has prided himself of several achievements such as landing on the moon and appears to have conquered space, but he is still ignorant of the secrets of nature. We cannot prevent floods, cyclones, droughts or forest fires though we have become wiser in predicting them. Coming to earthquakes, science has plausible explanations why they occur and where they are likely to occur. They mark these places as Zones I,II,II,IV,V. Earthquakes occur because of the shifting of the fault lines of the tectonic plates under the earth’s crust Why they shift and when they will shift, nobody has the answer. At least till today. Human loss would have been less had the residential houses been one or two storied buildings. We in the North East are in Zone V and highly vulnerable to earthquakes. The old Japanese housing structure called Assam Type buildings have been recommended since the great 1897 earthquake. Such buildings dotted the landscape in these hills till the late 40’s and 50’s.But greed and easy money saw high rise buildings in Guwahati, Shillong and other major cities. There is a saying among old Khasi people, ’Haba ki sdang thaw iing ar-lai mala u jumai un sa wan’(when they start constructing two – three storied buildings the earthquake will come) In Turkey the blame game is starting on building contractors bending the building rules and regulations. Here in Meghalaya we are still debating on MUDA building bye-laws restricting high rise buildings. If a similar earthquake were to strike our state some coal mining areas of Jaintia Hills, South Garo Hills and West Khasi Hills will just sink under the ground which have been facilitated by the rampant rat hole mining. Rescue missions then will be difficult unlike over-ground rescue missions.
Historically to many Christians, other than Jerusalem, Turkey is of interest because of the several churches in the region established by apostle Paul during his three missionary journeys. We read in the news that the Greek Orthodox churches have mobilized fund to repair/rebuild heritage sites. The city of Antakya which saw much damage in the earthquake is the old name ‘Antioch’ in the Bible. It was here that the name “Christian” was first coined for believers of Jesus Christ. Could we presume that God has revisited this city with a vengeance? No never. The ways of God are mysterious. Mr Job of the old testament was a rich and honest man but strangely was stripped of all his wealth, his children and his health. It was through suffering that he experienced knowledge of God and which made him confess, “I have heard thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye seeth thee.”(Job 42:5)
The Turkey earthquake occurred around 4 AM when everyone was fast asleep. In a few seconds some lucky ones managed to rush through the door alive. Many succumbed because of the crumbling of high rise buildings. As records poured in 41,000 people have died and still counting. Life seems unfair when well to do persons find themselves barefoot, clinging to dear life with only their sleeping pyjamas. They have to depend on food and clothes from the Relief Aid agencies. In a spilt second all their wealth and what they value vanished into thin air. Overnight a prince becomes a pauper.
Coming to our own state what a contrast. At the other end of the spectrum we hear moaning and wailing; we hear screaming, dancing and music. Another earthquake is awaiting which will affect us all in the next five years. I am talking about the election results which are as difficult to predict as the Turkey earthquake. Like the tectonic plates, the crorepati candidates are pushing and shaking each other to occupy the high chair. Bhogtoram Mawroh’s article in Shillong Times (Feb 15, 2023) makes interesting estimate of the wealth or declared assets of only ten candidates amounting to Rs.1382 crores. Imagine how much wealth those 10 % of the population who are well to do keep to themselves where 90 % of the people are living below subsistence level. Where will all this wealth go if a similar earthquake were to strike Meghalaya? Jesus told this parable, “There was once a rich man who had land which bore good crops. He began to think to himself, ‘I haven’t anywhere to keep all my crops, what can I do? This is what I will do, he told himself. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones where I will store my corn and all my other goods. Then I will say to myself, ‘Lucky man you have all the good things you need for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink and enjoy yourself.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this very night you will have to give up your life, then who will get all these things you have kept for yourself ?’Jesus concluded “This is how it is with those who pile up riches for themselves but are not rich in God’s sight.” Period.