Those Who Will Do

There is a phrase that pretains to less-than-ideal equipment I have been using a lot lately as I go through my gear and prepare to be called to go down to the Gulf Coast, "(blank) will do, if I will do" - blank being the piece of kit being discussed at the time.
I really like the mindset behind this phrase - it puts the importance on personal knowledge and ability, skill, instead of on tools and technology. A tool or a technology is only as good as the person behind it - even the best tool will fail miserably in the wrong hands, but even the worst can be put to some use if the person behind it knows what they are doing, it will do, if they will do.
As I watch events unfolding in New Orleans and surrounding areas, and talk to friends and associates about it, I am continually impressed that this can be applied directly into classifying people.
Ohh, I know, bad: profiling! I'm singling people out and singling people out is bad (unless its in the name of "celebrating diversity" of course. Somewhere we forgot that the goal was unity... ).
But it is true, you can pretty easily divide people into "Those Who Will Do" and "Those Who Wont Do".
The latter, those who wont do, I think have been illustrated quite well in recent days by the ne'er-do-wells in New Orleans causing all the trouble. These types of people, those who feel entitled no matter how lazy they are, will never stand up and do for themselves when they have been taught for so long that it will just be handed to them. This isnt the first time I've spoken of this either, I saw the problems with these kinds of people some time ago, but what I saw was a "kinder, gentler" if you will sort of problem. I wanted to believe they would simply suffer, not try to drag others down with them into their suffering. It was naeive. I am far less tolerant of these types of people now than I was back then.
Those who will do however are a fantastic group of people. The capable, resourceful, adaptive and thoughtful people who are willing to work to get ahead, to survive and to help others in a time of need. I am proud of these people, because people like this are my friends, they are the people I choose to stand with.
As I've prepared to try and do my part down South, I've had several people I hardly know step up and offer me things of significant financial value, because they too wanted to do their part and couldnt go down themselves because of circumstance.
I also have friends who are down there, providing aid, law enforcement, and whatever else is neccessary.
Those who will do are attracted to these jobs, fire-fighter, police, emergency medicine, etc. but it is more than just a job - it is a calling, and one doesnt have to be a professional whatever to be one of those who will do. Bus drivers, systems administrators, school teachers, manual laborers, anyone from any walk of life who is capable and resourceful and can and will do for themselves, and for others.
My heart swells with pride for these individuals - The people who helped others escape NOLA, the fire-fighters who went up the stairs into the malebolge of the World Trade Towers and never came down again, the people every day and stand up to do brave, heroic things, silently and without asking or wanting to be recognized, the people who are simply capable and take care of themselves and their people without questioning "shouldnt I just be given this?". These are thepeople who will lead us to survival and rebuilding in the aftermath of events like Katrina.
In the future, with terrorism, the sudden rise in disease (tropical diseases like West Nile are in the United States now. Malaria and other nastiness, like Dinge Fever, is sure to follow. NOLA is going to be a fucking breeding ground for tropical nastiness if any of it gets brought in on trade ships), and simple overcrowding combined with a rather twisted and savage economy and weak infrastructure, things like the aftermath of Katrina in New Orleans are going to become more common.
The "entitled" wont be the ones who pull us back up, and re-take the reigns of civalization.
It isnt too late, people can still change... but we will run out of time eventually, and we're all going to have to pay the tab that those who wont do have run up in the last few years.