Cloud and ship. Ukraine, Crimea, Black sea – view from Ai-Petri mountain. Photo by Yevgen Timashov via Boston.com.


Perito Moreno Glacier in Patagonia, Argentina. Photo byOle Begemann via Flickr.


Ash and steam billow from the crater of Mount St. Helens on 18th May 1980. USGS photo via Boston.com.


“Liquid Planet. Another picture from the Liquid Vision Series, which shows a different point of view of waves. An angle that people are not used to seeing.” Photo and caption by Freddy Cerdeira via Boston.com.


Dear fellow citizens of the Planet,

I couldn’t bring myself to write a ‘normal’ post today. I feel deeply concerned and affected by the number, the frequency and the severity of the natural disasters which have recently struck Japan, New Zealand and Australia, as I’m sure many of you are too.

I have a distinct feeling that our Planet is trying to communicate with us and the message is loud and clear. We need to listen and pay attention, as this affects every single one of us and absolutely nobody is immune. Some of us may think we are in charge here, but this couldn’t be further from the truth – Mother Nature is The Ultimate Boss Lady. And as a Mother, She is warm, nurturing and provides us with everything we need, and She warns us when we have done something wrong. At times She also punishes us so that we may learn our lessons and change our ways to avoid even bigger mistakes. As Her children, we often don’t understand Her rules – they don’t appear right or fair.

But I have a feeling that all She really wants us to learn is to be kind to the Planet which allows us to exist – live, breathe, eat, and bathe in the sun.

So let’s do that. Together.

Your fellow citizen,

x dana

 

p.s. The Australian Red Cross has set up a Japan and Pacific Disaster Appeal. You can make an online donation right here.

 

Rain at Uluru. Photography by Peter Carroll via abc.net.


Boiling mud in Rotorua’s geothermal areas. Photography by Tourism New Zealand via New Zealand Incentives.


“A supercell thunderstorm rolls across the Montana prairie at sunset.” Photo and caption by Sean Heavey via Boston.com.


12 Responses

  2. victoria

    so well said, dana. thank you. i’ve been thinking the same thing, and so are many of the people i speak with about the recent events. it should make everyone stop and think, and have a deep respect for mother nature’s power. we need to be kind to her.

    Reply
  5. Nina

    So True Dana. My sentiments exactly. There was a really interesting conversation on the radio (702- old people’s radio)this morning about the compounding effects on the general population.
    These live images of human devastation and the constant media coverage is taking a toll on people. It’s frightening and distressing, multiplied by the remoteness of these events- remoteness caused by the natural disaster and the physical distance.
    It is time to pay attention. It is time to stop assuming that it won’t happen, and make the right decisions for future generations. There is that great African Proverb- “When you prey, move your feet.” Get Moving.

    Reply
  7. Chantal

    very well said…you could not have put that in any better a way… I couldn’t agree more and my only wish is that more of us understand the severity of our actions and the consequences that are ineviatble

    Reply
  8. Martin Barley

    This is so weird! I was thinking the EXACT thoughts!

    I remember saying this about the QLD floods, the main areas effected were areas of unsustainable and environmentally taxing farming practices. Then came the earthquake in Japan and I said ‘That’s what you get if you hunt whales and use nuclear power’. You had it best at ‘Mother Nature is The Ultimate Boss Lady’
    Couldn’t have said it better myself.

    I believe these events are Mother Nature saying a great big “I TOLD YOU SO”

    Reply
  9. Oliver @ Sabi Style

    What a brilliant post. The photos alone highlight the diversity of the world around us. A world that produces beauty at every turn. Yet somehow mankind seems hell bent on screwing it all up. It is so easy to be caught up in our own world and to think our actions don’t have any influence on the greater picture. It can be easy to bury ones head in the sand and leave it to someone else to fix the problem.

    But the fact is we so need a wakeup call.

    I feel so sorry for everyone that has been affected by these natural disasters. It was heartbreaking, here in Queensland, to see the devastation. It is awful that so many people have lost their lives and so many more have had their lives turned upside down.

    Out of the mud and as the flood waters subsided I watched as a community came together and helped each other. I have seen strangers go out of their way to help others, to make sure someone worse off than them was alright, to help where needed, to do something positive and expect nothing in return.

    I hope this positive vibe lasts and grows. Then all the loss was for something. Maybe it might just make us grow, evolve, think of others first, take care of our environment, think about those around us, get to know our neighbours and build a community. One where we embrace more than fads but actually look at change. A change for the better. Not just for us and those around us but for the generations to come. Is it so naive to want to hand over the world we live in, in a better state than when we got it?

    Reply
  11. Lauren

    I’m not sure if I agree with the above comment from Martin, are you implying that Japanese people deserve this because they hunt whale and use nuclear power? I don’t believe that ‘that’s what you get’. They don’t deserve this. Neither did the Queenslanders. No-one does. I understood the post to mean to respect the immense power of nature.

    Earthquakes and natural disasters have been happening since forever, we are powerless. Pompeii comes to mind. Human beings in these modern times are very powerful and have no doubt impacted the earth, however I don’t believe that we have somehow caused or even that we can match the power that Mother Nature has shown over the past few weeks/months. Nuclear – now that is a whole other subject.

    Reply
  12. yellowtrace

    Thank you everyone for your comments. Although I am not always able to respond to you all, I truly appreciate your feedback, especially when it is a post which is as ‘personal’ as this one.

    Lauren, you beat me to it – I am so with you on the comment from Martin. My thoughts never suggested that Mother Nature was being spiteful or malicious. Mother Nature is a divine force concerned with things of much higher order than such petty traits of us mere mortals. Nobody deserves the devastation and immense damage these places and their people have tragically suffered.

    Like Oliver said, I hope these events propel the world toward global decisions and actions which create a better and more sustainable future for our planet.

    Reply

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