Just last week, it came to me that civilization is breaking down. All the wonderful joys of living that I had experienced in many years of life seemed to be vanishing.

Take the economy. The rich getting richer, the middle class and poor struggling like never before, top government officials playing tag for power and not caring about us, the people. Even neighbor against neighbor, fighting over the drilling issue for money from natural gas.

And looking around the world, you see so many countries at war; dictators destroying the lives of their own countrymen; and people here in our country, like a governor from the South seeking to run for President, stating that there is no climate change. Give me a break.

What do you call the melting of Arctic ice, the last stand for polar bears? The mercury in our oceans and fish, the loss of habitat for our beautiful animals like cougars and gorillas? What do you call an almost six-point earthquake that hit us recently on the East Coast? What do you call the Category Three hurricane that hit North Carolina—and here in Sullivan County many (including me) were still without water or power four days later?

One night, I went to the White Sulphur Springs fire house for dry ice and drinking water. When you called NYSEG, all you got was a busy signal (which is why the thought of civilization breaking down entered my head in the first place). Okay, so just one day they gave out ice and water. Hey, NYSEG, ice melts. Where were you on days two, three and four while our expensive meat was rotting?

When I got to the fire house for my share of ice and water (a half-hour early), there was already a line-up of cars three deep from places as far as Fremont, Cochecton, Callicoon, Roscoe, etc. For shame, NYSEG, you couldn’t afford more distribution places? There were people waiting all over, leaning on cars. No one knew where or when the truck would come. People were told it would come between 8 and 10 p.m. It finally arrived around 9:30 p.m.

But even if civilization seems to be breaking down in NYSEG’s vicinity, it’s thriving in parts of Sullivan County.

The people slowly started to quietly form some sort of line, politely talking and courteously allowing some people to get in front. I’m 75 years old, with two bad knees, and can hardly walk or stand, and I myself was allowed to get in about fifth place, with someone rushing over to me to carry the heavy cooler I had in my hands. I was surrounded by a group of about 15 women, all strangers, and when I couldn’t stand any longer (it got dark and cold) they suggested I sit on the cooler. I told them I will never be able to get up. All these angels said in unison that I should not worry; they would all help me sitting down and getting up. And they did. Imagine, total strangers caring so much for little old me.

Now, all you people living here in this county of Sullivan, you had better thank your lucky stars, and kiss the hands of fate that led you to live here at this time in our human history. Our people here are the most humane, caring, courteous and self-sufficient tough guys going through this terrible crisis.

Consider yourselves lucky. You are surrounded by the finest examples of what a human being should be. These beautiful Sullivan County guys have restored by belief and faith in the human race. Bravo, take a bow—you deserve it.

[Seena Nelson is a resident of Livingston Manor, NY.]