On this date, September
27th in the year 1854, sudden and heavy fog caused two ships, the
Arctic and the Vesta to collide, killing 322 people off the coast of
Newfoundland. The Captain of the Arctic, despite the conditions did not take
the usual safety measures for sailing in fog. He did not slow the ship down or
sound the ship’s horn. He also did not choose to add any extra watchmen. Later
in desperation after the crash, he tried to run the boat aground to keep it
from sinking but instead ran over several lifeboats causing more loss of life. Life
is full of surprises and not all of them are good, in fact one may lead to
death. The soul who is one with the universe knows it is better to surprise
than be surprised; they expect the unexpected. They know it is not adversity
that defines a person, but how that person reacts to adversity. It is the one
in harmony with all that cannot be thrown off balance.
