@JB Lions
Welcome back.
I am one who believes that the God of creation does not miss much. In other words, He allows disaster, disease and misfortune. Sometimes He causes it.
In general, I believe many of us put too much value in our "stuff". Hurricanes and disasters remind us that our "stuff" is fleeting and temporal.
Of course I don't wish for anyone to lose their stuff. However, if they do lose their stuff and instead figure out the meaning of life, it will be a blessing in disguise.
For calibration, the 2 biggest setbacks of my life were ultimately my 2 biggest blessings.
- A divorce from wife #1 (2003)
- Being fired from running GMI, the company I founded in 1999 and grew 100% per year for 7 straight years, and for which I was named Entrepreneur of the Year. (2007)
Up until this point, I viewed money as the main barometer of success and lived ostentatiously (private jet, Maserati, etc) with little to no concern for eternity.
However, it was really these 2 setbacks that set me on a course to figure some things out, including
the meaning of life.
Yes, I personally do have stuff. I consider myself a steward of it. In fact, I repudiate all of it daily. I have not drawn a salary at Epik for a long time and do so only as needed.
As for losing one's life, I often say: "when it's my time, it's my time". I sincerely believe that. I am not intentionally reckless, but I do walk in faith.
As you can see, there is no hypocrisy here. I absolutely have zero schadenfreude. However, I do care more about souls and lives than I care about stuff.