Where There's Smoke, There's Fire

On February 7, 2009, wildfires roared across the Australian state of Victoria scorching 1500 square miles of farmland and forest, destroying more than 1,800 homes, and killing 210 people. In spite of numerous government warnings, the fires caught hundreds of people off-guard.

Jill Sanguinetti was enjoying a relaxing day at the pool in the town of Marysville. She later described her experiences on that fateful morning. “A shadow passed across the sun. Cool change at last! Glancing up, I saw that instead of clouds, the sun was obscured by a massive column of grey and orange smoke billowing upwards a kilometre or more and cascading down over itself, as it flowed towards the town from the north. The 30 or so bathers relaxing around the pool seemed oblivious to the mountain of down-pouring smoke that filled half the sky. Nobody looked up or commented and so I, too, despite a growing unease, decided that the smoke must be somehow within the realms of normal and nothing to worry too much about.”

Like Jill, many of the hundreds of guests who were spending a relaxing weekend at the many resorts in Marysville, thought nothing of the spectacular plumes of smoke towering high into the sky. In fact, many mistook the smoke for thunderheads.

It wasn't until clouds of burning bark and branches, driven by the winds, began raining down on the small town of Marysville, that the people were finally awakened from their dreamlike trances. Amazingly, most of the tourists managed to escape just ahead of the flames with nothing more than their flip flops and the clothes on their backs.

The events of February 7^th tell a story of a miraculous escape, but it also teaches a lesson for those of us who will listen. Nature provided numerous signs and warnings that day and almost everyone, so busy enjoying life, misread them.

Today, we find ourselves in a similar situation. Those giant plumes of smoke on the horizon are not thunderheads, announcing the coming cooling rains that we need, but warning signs of a coming economic firestorm that is bearing down on every man, woman, and child in America.

Instead of sounding the warning cry, our government continues to speak to us in reassuring tones that we are in no immediate danger. In fact, we are told, just a few more trillion dollars and everything will return to normal. Our house values will once again rise, our retirement accounts will be fully funded, and we will be able to enjoy the good life, just like those unsuspecting folks in Marysville.

I don't know about you, but I am not listening the reassuring words of our government. I don't believe that they know what they are doing. Instead, I am heeding the warning signs that are even now towering over our heads. Do I smell smoke?

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