My heartfelt thoughts go out to everyone who has lost family members and friends. The grief and shock of this dreadful event will never leave people who were affected by it. I pray all the bodies are found and given proper burial.
The saddest aspect of this tragedy, along with Grenfell, and other awful disasters is that to a degree this is avoidable. There will always be accidents, but it is important we look after each other.
To build and maintain public spaces to the highest safety standards, and to constantly watch out for dangers.
There is always going to be an element where people overlook something. However we are all health and safety experts. When we can see a doorway is blocked, or a building is not maintained, it isn’t someone else’s job.
I am reminded of the train trip we took from Moscow to the Golden ring, to a Monastery. I kept getting up to shut the door of the train as there was a howling gale blowing in, and we are not used to the cold. Everyone left the train doors open when they left. Also no one else seemed to want to get up and shut the door. I could see people thought I was mad, and had something wrong with me.
My Husband has a heart condition, and I can’t allow Him to get cold. Perhaps this is the reason this happened. Russian people don’t seem to have a communal safety ethic, or a communal idea, that if they leave the door open when they get off a train, someone else will need to shut it. Also it seemed that no-one wanted to be the person to stand up and be singled out as a person who shuts the door.
I suppose the doors are meant to shut by themselves, but this was an old train.
In the same way accepting bribes, or backhanders in building construction and maintainance, or any other public service allows for small discrepancies which weaken the structure of society, little by little the foundations give way and a raft of minor infringements creates a domino effect that creates a catastrophe.
In a way this situation reminds me of when our family doctor diagnosed my Husband’s heart failure as bronchitis... for six months. It was devastating. I thought he could die at any moment. This sent me into a manic attack and I ended up in the psychiatric unit at the worst possible time.
My Husband did have a miracle from God, which allowed Him to live. It was the worst time imaginable.
When He began to recover, we discussed what we should do. Should we think of sueing the Doctor? Should we persue compensation as he would never work again?
I could not face the years of potential litigation ahead if we we’re to take this route. I wanted to move on, and recover. I wanted to put it behind me.
My Husband said, I am going to have a chat with our Doctor. He won’t make that bloody mistake again. I want the Doctor to be all over me like a rash every time I go and visit for a check up. I want the best Doctor in the world.
So this is how we dealt with our worst nightmare. I didn’t forgive the Doctor for a long time. But I did.
I am not good with Doctors. In fact I think our French village doctors are the best doctors I have ever been to. So thorough. The French system is brilliant. You don’t make an appointment, you just go and wait your turn. Then you are not rushed. The doctors are so thorough, and both speak excellent English, just in case my French fails me for technical medical stuff.
I suppose what I hope will happen after this awful event, and others like them, is that those small compromises we make in government, or local administration, the backhanders or gifts that are given so we look the other way when standards are not being met will eventually lead to a tragic outcome that will be on everyone’s conscience.
There will need to be an inquest, which is a difficult assessment of the cause and extant of this disaster. There will be recommendations arrived at from the outcome of the Inquest, and I hope financial help for the families devastated with loss of their loved ones and friends.
Perhaps instead of attacking the officials that allowed this to happen, it is better to tackle the endemic culture of bribery and corruption that allows this to happen. It isn’t just Russia this happens in. It happens all over the world.
Its easy for me to say don’t compromise, I think I am Autistic a bit anyway. This means I can’t unfortunately. I am wracked with awful feelings if I don’t tell the truth or do something wrong. I soon know when I have, I get this niggling unrest, until I can work out what it was. Other people don’t have that problem with deception. People just deceive themselves everything will be ok if it’s left to sort out by someone else. It won’t because everyone else seems to think like this, so no one does anything about a growing problem before there is a disaster.
I suppose this is why I just like being on my own. I know I will do what I need to do. It’s not that I don’t rely on other people, but they are so distracted. Almost like they don’t see things they have no care for.
For instance cleaning the toilet is not my favorite job, but sometimes the only way to get it clean when it hasn’t been used for a few weeks, is to get the industrial gloves on, get a scourer and get into all the nooks and crannies and check all the limescale is off it. Otherwise if you just bleach the toilet you have white limescale and it goes nasty very quickly... I suppose this is not a very good analogy, but Something needs to be done everywhere about poor building standards. Also building management practices.
I pray that Jesus comes to every person who has suffered in this dreadful fire, and comforts them and heals them. For those who have passed away, I ask that Jesus takes them to Himself and presents them to the Most High God, to receive Eternal life and blessing.
My Heart is breaking for all those who are suffering.