Disappearing Act

About a week ago, something very peculiar happened. I had turned the computer off earlier, and when I went back to it sometime later, it was on, but not as it was. I'm guessing (all I can do is guess at this point, I don't remember the specifics well enough to ask about it) there was some kind of update. The computer had been, well, reset for lack of a better word. Settings were at their basic points, saved files were gone, online browsing history had vanished. I was very put off by this, though I did try to take it calmly. The following day, when I turned on the computer again, everything was as it had been before the reset, like it had never happened in the first place. Very strange.

It was frightening to me to consider how I would have continued had the reset not have been negated. Certainly, there are plenty of files and pictures that have been stored on the computer, not to mention the 1200+ games of Spider Solitaire that have been played, or all the progress I've made on online games. But this experience got me thinking. About what if it hadn't been undone? What then? I suppose that I would have just continued onward, trying to rebuild as best I could.

But what about those who don't get an undo? Natural disasters are a good example of this. Earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes, fires. All these things happen, and we are powerless to stop them. We can take steps to lessen the damages done, yes, but that's about it. After that, it's a matter of waiting out the storm, picking up the pieces, and trying to rebuild. I suppose this would be the point where I say something about the human spirit, and how we will continue no matter how badly things are going.

But what about the things you can't rebuild? Old saying: You can replace possessions, but not people. I'm not going to lie; I've have no idea what it's like to lose a loved one. I cannot speak with any true degree of certainty on the subject; I can only speculate.Certainly, my grandparents are both getting on in years. And there was that one time a few years back that my mom was in a car crash. Mom was driving out to pick me up, the car hit a patch of black ice on the highway, veered into the other lane, and was clipped from behind by a semi. Mom was fine (if shaken up), but the car was totaled. I'd much rather have it that way than vice-versa.

It frightens me to think about just how fragile we humans are.