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In mid-September, the weather was boring hot before the Super Typhoon Mangkhut swept through the city and caused extensive damage. Compared with the Typhoon Hato last year, the Hong Kong Government stepped up its storm warning. The city has been on high alert.
In its aftermath on September 17, pedestrian paths were either flooded or littered with debris and mangled trees. Road conditions were bad and the traffic in the city was paralyzed. Without work suspension arrangement, the public blamed the government with great resentment. Fortunately, Hong Kong has a good infrastructure development, and there have been no serious casualties after the windstorm.
When I walked on the road these days, fallen trunks could be seen everywhere and the leaves were still green. Although the roads have been re-opened, broken branches along the roadside have not been cleaned up. People in the city want to return to normal life as soon as possible. Who will stop to look at these "old friends" who had been with us for many years in the community?
The fallen trees at the road junction were still conspicuous a few days later. The broken branches were deadly dry with yellow leaves, as if they were telling us a story of death. Suddenly, an oily aromatic scent of smashed leaves came to my nose. It seemed to tell the passers-by that she finally fell down and said goodbye to everyone.
Trees should grow in countryside or be planted on the hillside. I saw that many of the fallen "sidewalk trees" were housed in cement tanks like "flower pots". Below the huge tree trunks, there was only a shallow soil packing. How can a shallow root system withstand the fierce attack?
We had treated you poorly with good reasons such as "reducing heat and noise, filtering out pollutants, making the environment more pleasant" by locking you up in cement cages. After you have fallen down and no longer served us, we only treat you as garbage, waiting to be removed. Without apology and regret, we only think about our "daily norm". We must repent. The relationship between trees and people should not be like this.
Similarly it is normal for many believers to be busy serving the church or churches to be filled up with ministries. Although the tree trunk is still straight with healthy branches and leaves, it is not deeply rooted. "The wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more." (Ps. 103:16) I hope that after the storm, we will turn over the soil and let the regenerating roots grow healthily as promised by the poet: "Like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither." (Ps. 1:3) In fact the storm reminds us to rethink about life.
Servant pastor
Rev. Benedict Shum
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