What exactly is a havoc? Well, it is a bit of destruction. A great deal of destruction, actually. Like when something will wreak havoc all across the land.
It can be applied to anything, really. It could range from natural disasters to personal conflicts or any other kinds of disruptions.
After a three-year-old is in the kitchen and proceeds to break several glasses, and spill syrup on the floor.
After a ten-year-old decides to raise his hand in class and answer with the f-word.
After a sixteen-year-old cat pukes up a hairball on your laptop keyboard.
Anything.
But on a broader scale, The Black Death (1347–1351) created lots of havoc. It was a devastating plague that killed an estimated 25–30 million people in Europe. That turns out to be roughly one-third of the population. Can you imagine losing one out of every three people? Of course, that whole thing caused widespread chaos and societal upheaval.
Or what about the Sack of Rome (1527)? That is when the troops of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V wreaked havoc on the city of Rome. Those troops looted and killed in what many saw as a symbolic end to the Renaissance. Around 12,000 civilians were killed during the sack. And then the havoc continued when many others died in the aftermath from starvation, disease, and the general breakdown of social order within the city.
In more modern times, we had the Great Wars. Take World War II (1939–1945). This horrific conflict caused immense destruction worldwide. All of Europe was affected greatly. Cities like Dresden, Berlin, London, Dunkirk, Warsaw and on. And then, the bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But globally, around 85 million people died in WWII. Approximately 21–25 million soldiers died, including deaths from combat, accidents, and diseases. Roughly 50–55 million civilians died due to direct military actions, genocides, bombings, starvation, and disease. And approximately 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust, along with millions of other victims, including Roma people, disabled individuals, political dissidents, and others targeted by the Nazi regime. That’s havoc.
Yes. Havoc is widespread destruction. The process of causing so much damage to something that it no longer exists or cannot be repaired. Destroyed.
But here is something. Even from great destruction comes new life. Eventually. There were survivors in each one of those. And those people went on and lived. Some of them, many of them, went on to do great things. Like having children. Or create masterpieces. Masterpieces in something. Be it a painting, a play, a book, or? Or a dress for their daughter’s wedding. A chocolate cake for a birthday party. A garden out back, that fed loved ones, or bunnies, or ants.
Yes. After the havoc and destruction, life began a new cycle with new roots. And from that, life grew some more.
When things go terribly wrong in our lives, sometimes it is hard to see that life will emerge again. But we have to keep that vision in our minds and in our hearts. Knowing that someday, things will heal in a new way, and life will continue to be full of grace.
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“Every moment is a fresh beginning.”
– T.S. Eliot
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“And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”
– Meister Eckhart
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“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”
– T.S. Eliot
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“Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.”
– Buddha
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The havoc and the after-ish.
