Nature's wrath

Watching the CNN reporter in Sendai showing the wreckage of what used to be an elementary school with more than 400 children in it when the earthquake and tsunami struck draws a sense of sadness. One imagines the terror the little ones must have felt in their last moments. Apart from footages which show the waters gushing relentlessly inland sweeping planes, houses, vehicles, trees into the vast rice fields inland, there is also a video which tracked the events from the time when the tsunami warning was first blared out until 40 minutes later when the tsunami descended. Old folks and women holding their children tightly moved orderly up the hill slope. When the tsumani occurred they watched in horror the disaster unfolding before their eyes, holding onto each other in terror whilst comforting the little ones who were crying. Just watching these coverages on TV evoke in us a sense of disbelief, horror and helplessness, what more the victims. You feel the fury of nature and are perplexed at its wrath and wonder whether there is something wrong in the way the human specie live that nature has to retaliate in this manner. Even Japan, a country with advanced technology and a system well in place and rehearsed to face such calamities, stood defenceless against nature's temper. One can appreciate why primitive men worshipped nature as their gods, believing in their power. We, the modern men however through our intellect invent, create, change and control as we desire. In times like this we are reminded that there are things not within our grasp, including when our candle of life extinguishes.