We have always tried to understand nature and predict it.
Starting waaaaay back with clocking the seasons and the stars...
Right up to the edge of today, with predicting the motion of tsunami (thank you, NOAA, for your awesome modeling)...
So... Predict Nature?
To some extent.
Harness it?
We've proved we can use a portion of the energy from sun, water, and wind for our own purposes, and pretty much extinguish species as we desire (although I do think the insect world will probably prove the ultimate survivors).
But "control" Nature? As in control the motion of tectonic plates and the evolution of the stars?
Not likely.
Too, we once believed the universe circled 'round our little planet.
We now know differently.
Humans = hubris.
And Nature wins out, in the end.
My mom lives in Crescent City. She was very excited about the tsunami, and so wished she could take her 88-year-old self down to the shore to watch it all. I'm sure that's a very natural urge---to see the power, the presence of something so awesome close up. Stupid, but natural...
ReplyDeleteShe survived it all just fine. An exciting day for Mom in her three-story apartment in Crescent City. A catastrophic mess in Japan just across the water.
Hi Sue!
ReplyDeleteI'll bet your mom wasn't the only one in Crescent City who was tempted to go down to the ocean and "watch."
It all rather reminds me of the folks who'd visit Yellowstone and roll down their car windows to feed the bears... remember? I mean, folks, these are *wild animals* not pets, and strong enough to take your arm off, if they decide you aren't giving them enough french fries!
Yup, gotta love those tourists! Mom has been exploring with my brother now around the town, and says the harbor is pretty much all gone. She says this whole experience has given her a much better sense about the connectedness of all things. "Imagine!" she tells me, "Something happening in Japan can do this!"
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