DISASTER AND MOTHER NATURE

The massive destruction caused by the supertyphoon "Reming" in the Bicol Region is now becoming quite evident. The news reports filtering in the television and the radio are creating a clear picture of the typhoon's aftermath in the said area. Several villages are wiped out from the face of the planet by the massive mudslides that thundered down from the slopes of Mayon Volcano. Though not exactly the same, the incident provides a stark reminder of a similar tragic occurrence that transpired several months ago in St. Bernard, Southern Leyte, where an entire village was buried into oblivion following the sudden and unexpected collapse of a mountainside.

If for anything else, these catastrophes are mere indicators of the unchanging reality that we humans are not in total control of the earth. No matter how far we go, in terms of scientific and technological advancements, we shall never completely subdue the planet. The truth is, we remain to be at the mercy of mother nature. A brief tremor, or a sudden tidal wave, or a strong typhoon would be enough to show us how weak and vulnerable we are. Indeed, natural disasters can easily alter our fortunes.

Thus, we should always extend an abiding respect to mother nature. We must never think that we can exercise dominion over her like a king ruling his fiefdom. We are born out of the womb of the earth, and we are her children and not her master.