Earth, the blue globe riding in space, looks peaceful from the photos snapped by astronauts. But, living on the ground, we know that the appearance of a minor event as viewed from outer space can be, when experienced on earth, a major catastrophe. Many incentives exist for people with ingrained differences to recognize the common benefits of interconnectivity (for example trade or shared discoveries), but nothing like a natural disaster reminds us of so compellingly of our common vulnerabilities to forces beyond human control. Every disaster reinforces the simple truth that when compared to the awesome powers of nature, we all are truly equal. All human pretentions and presumptions vanish before this unadorned fact. Nature clearly and repeatedly shows that it is no respecter of persons.
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