Hurricane Ike Churn Churn Churn

Hurricane Ike provided a study in psychology while it was still churning (great verb!) out in the Gulf of Mexico. On the Tuesday preceding its Saturday landfall, I was trying to decide whether or not to leave the next day. I talked to many Smalltown church members about this dilemma. Everyone had a different take on it.

A list of the perspectives follows.

The hurricane was a Category (Cat) 1 but that could change. The hurricane was a Cat 2 but could not possible get any stronger. The hurricane was not strong at all, but its size was staggering. The hurricane could become a Cat 4 or even a Cat 5. The hurricane will move north and miss us. The hurricane will move south and miss us; my brother, a meteorologist, says so and if he doesn't know who does? Everyone should leave tomorrow at the latest. Nobody should leave because we've been through this before and it's nothing. Do not go to Central City whatever you do as the hurricane will spin off a tornado at you.


Churn churn churn. It was all very confusing. I finally left. Better safe than sorry.

The fact is that nobody knew what that hurricane would do including me. But we humans do not like to say we don't know something. When confronted with uncertainty we usually have a story. If we don't have one, we invent one.