Oops. Um, boss, I accidentally sent the wrong message to everyone in Hawaii.
What message did you send?
In a halting, high pitched voice ending in an almost question they continue: Umm. People should be expecting the impact from a ballistic missile.
I see. Hmmm. That will be alarming and inconvenient. People will panic. Someone will be asking for heads. We will have to send out a retraction and let everyone in the chain know, so they have information when the questions start coming. On the bright side, everyone will learn from this.
What?
Who would you be like — that fictitious boss or Sen. Brian Schatz who tweeted “What happened today is totally inexcusable. The whole state was terrified. There needs to be tough and quick accountability and a fixed process.”
Now, I don’t think that is how the conversation — if there was a conversation — really went down but can you imagine if it had?
We know now, it was a mistake. A human error. People will of course be embarrassed and wish it had never happened.
· As far as we can tell, no one died from it. It turned out not to be the end of the world. (Hooray!)
· Emergency Managers now have data showing how quickly the message went out, where it played, who it reached, where parts of the system failed and the general impact.
· Telecommunications saw what impacts a sudden strain on their system entailed.
· Emergency Managers found out who was Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) enabled, remembered their passwords and used the system. More importantly, they will find out who needs access and doesn’t have it.
· Procedures were pulled out, dusted off and read. Or procedures will be written about what to do in this circumstance and how to avoid it happening again.
· Support Agencies at all levels will be looking at their response plans and beefing them up, updating contact lists and talking about what they would have done if this had really happened.
Why not use this circumstance as the piece of gold that it is?
Individuals faced with thoughts of their own demise suddenly looked around and figured out what was most important in their lives. I can assure you they didn’t grab their television set on the way to the bomb shelter. Who did they call? Who did they gather? What regret came to mind of something they always wanted to do but never would? Who did they wish they had told, I love you to? Who did they wish they had forgiven? Who did they want with them in their last moments?
Outwardly this message appears as a terrible mistake. People will concentrate on blaming someone.
I like to look at the big picture.
If I were in Hawaii and I had received that message and after I had my heart go back to its normal rhythm — I would be taking stock of my life and would be documenting what was going through my head.
What an opportunity they have been given! It’s a second chance without having to go through a tragic bombing!
What did you consider about your life today?
Everywhere else in America people dropped off children at practice, ran their errands, did their housework, helped an elderly relative, perhaps even slept in or met friends for breakfast.
In Hawaii — There were people calling their sons and daughters to tell them I might not be around in a few minutes and that I really love you and admire who you have become.
Children were calling their parents wanting to make that connection one last time.
Some ran out of their home with their babies and hid in a culvert or a bomb shelter to protect them. They realized their children were their most precious things on this earth. That morning they had been wishing they were still single and could sleep in.
Someone else probably called up their lover or sibling or best friend and blurted out, I am really sorry for what I said and I love you. Can you ever forgive me?
There is a place for finding out why things happen the way they do and there is a place for raising our consciousness and looking at our lives from a different perspective.
Hawaiians have been given a gift this morning. It is the gift of a life review. The rest of us can also learn from this gift and dig into our lives in a way we never thought of before.
If you only had minutes to live what would be so apparent in the way you are living your life that you would now want to change?
· Are you with the right person?
· Are you the person you wish to be?
· Are you working a mindless job instead of operating from your passions?
· Can you appreciate something now that seemed to annoy you before?
· Can you let go of something that now seems so insignificant?
Thank you person who made a mistake.
Thank you for showing us all areas where we can make changes and appreciate what we have right now.
