What Can We Count On?
The following is a weekly 60 Minutes Wednesday commentary by columnist Steve Hartman.
It's been a week and a half now since the tsunami hit, and I still can't get past those very first pictures.
I've watched one video now a dozen times, and could probably watch it a dozen more and still not believe my eyes. The shot goes on for quite a while. Most news programs didn't show all of it. But, I think, to fully understand what happened that day, you really need to see it.
What gets me every time is how the water keeps coming and coming as if out of nowhere, like the ocean just all of a sudden decided to take over the land.
Another video ends in a few seconds, but there were other cameras rolling that day. Look at the white minibus; there are human beings inside that bus. For the longest time, I couldn't understand why people didn't just run away. But I sure do now.
The next shot coming up here hit me even harder. There are 10 kids. I counted 10 kids holding on for dear life. A few seconds later, when the shot ends, I counted three.
Those amateur videos have really haunted me, like nothing I've seen before. And it isn't just morbid curiosity. God, I wish it were that simple. I honestly think it's more of a need to understand. I mean, we know hurricanes. We get tornados.
But this isn't the kind of thing we ever see outside of the Bible.
Ten days ago, I thought I knew our planet. But now, I don't know what to make of her. If you can't trust an ocean to stay put, what can you count on? Not much, except each other, it seems.
The last couple of days, people all over the world have reached out to the victims. These are the images now coming out of Asia.
Hopefully, when all is said and done, those will be the pictures we remember most.
Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved. It's been a week and a half now since the tsunami hit, and I still can't get past those very first pictures.
I've watched one video now a dozen times, and could probably watch it a dozen more and still not believe my eyes. The shot goes on for quite a while. Most news programs didn't show all of it. But, I think, to fully understand what happened that day, you really need to see it.
What gets me every time is how the water keeps coming and coming as if out of nowhere, like the ocean just all of a sudden decided to take over the land.
Another video ends in a few seconds, but there were other cameras rolling that day. Look at the white minibus; there are human beings inside that bus. For the longest time, I couldn't understand why people didn't just run away. But I sure do now.
The next shot coming up here hit me even harder. There are 10 kids. I counted 10 kids holding on for dear life. A few seconds later, when the shot ends, I counted three.
Those amateur videos have really haunted me, like nothing I've seen before. And it isn't just morbid curiosity. God, I wish it were that simple. I honestly think it's more of a need to understand. I mean, we know hurricanes. We get tornados.
But this isn't the kind of thing we ever see outside of the Bible.
Ten days ago, I thought I knew our planet. But now, I don't know what to make of her. If you can't trust an ocean to stay put, what can you count on? Not much, except each other, it seems.
The last couple of days, people all over the world have reached out to the victims. These are the images now coming out of Asia.
Hopefully, when all is said and done, those will be the pictures we remember most.
