One of the most common questions we get, when people inquire about living anywhere in South Louisiana, usually is related to inquiring why we continue to live in an area that is plagued, at least periodically, by hurricanes. The answer is both simple and complex.
Simply put, the people throughout South Louisiana stay, especially following Hurricane Katrina, because this is our home. People who live in other places may think that this is not a wise decision, especially since there is always the possibility that another big hurricane will come along in any given year. However, where would they have us move? Other parts of the country are beset by wild fires, floods, mud slides, earthquakes, active volcanoes, and tornadoes. Busy population centers are faced with airline crashes, ferries that capsize, horrific traffic dangers, and rapidly growing crime rates. Throughout the nation, farmers are losing their land to big agricultural corporations and factory workers are losing their jobs as plants continue to close. Would you have us move there? Surely not!
None of those things happen in South Louisiana but, let us for a moment consider what would happen if long-lasting economic tragedy were to strike us. There is not one person here who cannot grow a garden. Among our numbers are enough hunters and fishermen to feed us all, without our menu changing in any perceptible way. So that is part of why we stay. This is our home. We are safe here, and there is not much we need, in the way of necessities, that cannot easily be obtained here.
We stay because the graves of our ancestors are here. There is something decidedly comforting about living on or near the same land one’s ancestors settled 300 years ago. This may sound odd to those Americans who do not even know who their own grandparents were, but our ancestors – all of them – remain a part of our lives, even today. We know them by name and speak of the details of their lives as if they are still our living neighbors. We grow our gardens in the places they grew theirs, cook using their recipes, and go to church in the churches they built. There is no way that any of us could, or would even consider, leaving the graves of our ancestors behind.
Finally, we stay because of the way our culture itself is structured. Ours is a positive culture in a world that currently seems obsessed with looking for the worst in everything. This is a place where total strangers speak to you with terms of endearment – my baby, my love, my heart, “mah sha.” This is a place where even toddlers are taught the absolute necessity of greeting everyone with a cheek-kiss and a sincere “How’s ya mama-n-em?” Emphasis is placed on true interest in what happened to you today that was good, never on the trials and tribulations of life. While howling to the moon about how much we value our privacy, we probably know more about each other than most folks would ever want to know. If there is a need, someone will see it and come to help without being asked. How could we survive in an outside culture where “privacy” means not even knowing your neighbor? We couldn’t survive such a thing – and so we stay… and live a life filled with music and laughter while the rest of the world shakes its head and wonders how we can be so foolish as to brave a little wind and water every few years.
To those who are still here, go outside – kiss the air – and thank God.
To those who are scattered across the nation and the world – come home.
