The Christchurch earthquake was just one of the tragedies Michelle Tom survived. From adversity, she says, we can all learn to harness fear, resist panic, and practise trust
In his 1961 book A Grief Observed, about the loss of his wife, CS Lewis said that no one had ever told him grief felt so much like fear. It was an astute observation that feels more relevant than ever. With millions of us forced to stay indoors in the pandemic, we grieve the dead as well as our lives as they were, and we are fearful for the future as we attempt to imagine it. Add to the pandemic recent IPCC warnings about worsening climate change, and it is no surprise anxious distress has become the default for many.
The uncertainty and sadness of the last 18 months are familiar to me, griefs I add to a life’s accumulation. At the ages of 21, 32 and 45 respectively I lost my father, my brother and my sister. Between losing my brother and my sister, I lost my house: in the 22 February, 2011 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Christchurch, Aotearoa/New Zealand.