Tsunami Warning:
Real Disasters Men Ignore

But the rallying cry for those victims of this natural disaster have been moving and genuine. Help is also misplaced and misguided. We can save you writing an e-mail to express distaste for what is printed here. We know these remarks ahead appear callous, barbaric, and evil -- but they are also real, and far more so than what you read in newspapers -- such is life online.

As a matter of historical reference, natural disasters have been responsible for millions of human deaths and hardship throughout our humble existence. This is not news, but any given natural disaster is sure to sell print advertisements, and television news, and keep the readers or viewers glued to their choice of media for days, absorbing all they can.

While it is impossible to know how many perished 70,000 years ago, a volcano in Sumatra carried enough debris to cloud the earth for years. Should such an event occur (again) today, the eventual death toll would count for more than half the world's population in 2004. Is such an explosion possible again? The simple answer is: It is inevitable in the timeline of this planet. Terrorists, industry moguls, IT-technology giants, Advertising agencies, religious organizations are helpless to the true plans of mother earth.

In 1737 a tsunami of 210 feet in height reached the Siberian peninsula. Should one of that height reach Manhattan, Hong Kong, west Los Angeles, or any coastal community -- the death toll would be astronomically high, perhaps more so than December's tsunami in ASEAN. But even with ample warning in place, the risk itself is only given to those betting for fun in Las Vegas casinos.

During the years 1876 - 1879 drought in China caused the death of 9 million, and in 1887 China's Yellow River flooded, killing more than 1 million, or roughly five-times the toll of December's tsunami in the Indian Ocean. In the past 100 years, earth, it could be said, has remained relatively quiet for humans, as death from man-made war(s) surpassed all natural disasters to date.

We'd like to think that as humans perfect their way of living, that not only do humans live longer and more comfortably, but that intelligence somehow makes us immune to natural disasters. No amount of currency, no amount of industrial clout, no political power could even begin to prevent the normal events of this planet. The best one can hope for is that -- a disaster doesn't strike home or -- should he be caught in a disaster that his life ends quickly and as painlessly as possible.

For lives lost in natural disasters, and for those lost in the recent tsunami in ASEAN countries, family members and friends of the dead will undoubtedly suffer distress. No amount of financial aid will relieve their pain; however, money (easy guilt-release) is what humans give. But perhaps recognizing the frailty of human life from within, one can ease emotional discomfort as we grow in part with earth's natural cycle to evolve as a planet. It is a planet independent of all other life forms. We are simply the attached leeches. Earth, as a life of its own, is the only almighty and powerful god despite man's ignorance to claim he knows God. (A human God plans disasters during his watch.)

The rush to help ASEAN nations has fuelled more political strife than thanks. One country hasn't given enough cash.... another country has been, perhaps too generous. Corporations jump on the bandwagon to get press coverage as a "community leader" in the face of tragedy.

And yet, not one nation nor corporation acts in kind to prevent human-to-human conflict -- which is responsible for the greatest number of deaths known to mankind. Unlike tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, or drought, the only preventable disasters are those man makes of his own will... and those too shall continue.