Knowledge Is Powerless

Those of us who live in the Midwest know what to do during a tornado.

We pay attention. We watch the skies and listen to the experts, and when they say to take cover, we take cover. We go to the basement, wear shoes with shoelaces, and be sure to have our wallets and flashlights with us.

We practice reacting to a bad storm, mentally checking off what we will do if the forecasters say we're in a storm's path. We find sturdy shelter if we're on the road. We garage our cars to minimize hail damage.

We know what to do, and we do what we know, and sometimes neither knowing nor doing is enough.

In the black hole of heartbreak that is Moore, Oklahoma, today, there will be some who wonder why all that knowledge didn't save everyone.

And as we weep with them we'll remind ourselves that knowledge is a tool but is not Power.