Dennis Benson

A volcano erupts and suddenly the mighty machines of man are as straw in the wind. It is perhaps generous of  Mother to give us the occasonal reminder that whenever she feels so inclined she can smother us, drown us or blow us away.

If she did not those of us without self understanding would forget completely and come to believe in our infallibility. Our machines would be all capable, our edifces indestructable and our military might all conquering. But all are reduced to dust in the face of nature, the power that towers beyond anything man can produce. 

Scientists can of course explain each and every act of nature. Those of us of less knowledge and fanciful minds sometimes wonder if there is not a more mystical explanation. Could it be that God or Mother Nature observes the growing arrogance of man as he polutes the planet and destroys its natural resources and being a benevolent being decides to issue a series of yellow cards’. If so will she one day decide that enough is enough?

You don’t have to be of a religious disposition to delight in the joys of nature on a sunny Spring day. Nor to realise that we are speeding up the race to ultimate destruction. Who cares about the rain forests or the  thousands of air miles, the rocketing population or the nuclear waste? We are all powerful!

But we seemed less so as we waited in vain at the airport. And we couldn’t even blame the government, social services or any of our usual scapegoats. Perhaps we should ridicule the supposed natural powers as we do with global warming. But suddenly it is much harder to do that as the dust hangs high over Heathrow’s gleaming indestructable towers!