Late Autumn a couple of years
ago, I stood alone watching the sea. It was drizzling with rain at high tide. A
strong wind was blowing, but not so fiercely that it threatened me. I stood
firmly on the spot holding onto the promenade railing as I watched the waves.
As the late afternoon gloom displayed a tapestry of colour in the sky and the
clouds were travelling fast in the wind, it struck me then how insignificant we
all are if only we were to really accept it.
How
vulnerable I am to a great many things in this world of ours. Youthfulness well
gone, the youthful feeling of invincibility also left behind in my past. The
power in those waves is awesome. Powerful enough to easily toss the biggest
man-made vessel about like a mere grain of sand in a sand storm. The sea
demands respect by just existing. Anyone foolish enough to defy that strength
would pay dearly for their folly as such power does not tolerate fools. Imagine
the countless trillions of tons of water in constant motion and the unforgiving
nature of that power. As I stood there I was not afraid and, oddly it seemed, I
felt quite comforted by recognising my vulnerability, but only because I was
standing on solid and unmoving ground. Any movement in that stable foundation
might presage trouble and remove my security instantly. I may even be plunged
directly into that utmost fury from which there could be no return. This was a
relatively quiet sea, but was nonetheless a reminder of a force that is in
charge. No argument. No possibility of controlling this force of nature that
has been around for millions of years. Nature will always be in charge.
The
most feared man-made devices are puny by comparison. Even a salvo of nuclear
bombs would not even make a dent compared to the natural forces around us. It
is strange how we bow to the power of these man-made devices, yet do not
respect natural forces. No man can act alone and be powerful as there must be
those that peform their bidding. Influence constitutes power, but trivial
power. Man's ego is imagined to be so big that it can control nations. One ego
so big to control millions of others. Will power and self-control are weak and
virtually absent. In a moment, the largest and most powerful armies on Earth
would be swept away and snuffed out by these forces that should be respected.
They have absolutely no will or any self control. These are attributes of
sentient man alone.
From
time to time we are reminded of Mother Nature and Her terrible power. Real
power. Acting alone. Supreme power in our world, though even this is puny when
considering ever greater forces. The devastation caused by a Tsunami pales into
insignificance against ever more powerful natural events. A volcano that can
plunge hundreds of thousands of square miles into a choking darkness, blotting
out a still greater power, even life itself. We exist in the eye of a
hurricane. In the stillness surrounded by a maelstrom of turbulent confusion.
In a place that seems safe.
An
asteroid travelling at colossal speed would devastate an entire planet if
collision happened. In a moment the energy expelled would be impossible to
comprehend. A hundred trillion hurricanes working together could never match
that force. Such energy is difficult to appreciate. An even greater energy
exists in Supernovae. Our Sun, huge with a ferocity unmatched by anything man
can imagine would make a million nuclear bombs little more than a match by
comparison in the face of such an inferno. Yet this is all puny when compared
to the energy of larger entities. The time it would take to realise the
destruction of our Sun would be about 8 light minutes to travel the 96,000,000
miles. The distances across some structures in our known universe amount to
thousands of light years, describing an unimaginable distance.
I find
this very humbling as my own ego understands its own vulnerability. Its real significance
in the order of things. Yet some would compare their own ego to that of forces
like these. That in itself is terrifying. The arrogance of man to think it is a
fair fight when up against such things. It's not so much arrogance as crass
stupidity. We can do nothing in the face of real natural power and when
unleashed this power gives no warning. It wreaks its terrible fury upon the
unsuspecting inhabitants of this world. It is not vengeful. It does not want
anything for itself. There is no discrimination. Anyone or anything that lives
will perish in its wake and this is all we can ever know.
© Mark Glanfield 2005