A different view about earthquakes and tsunamis

It is difficult to think that way, but I give it a shot:

"It's hard to find something uplifting about 150,000 lives being lost," said Dr. Donald J. DePaolo, a geochemist at the University of California, Berkeley. "But the type of geological process that caused the earthquake and the tsunami is an essential characteristic of the earth. As far as we know, it doesn't occur on any other planetary body and has something very directly to do with the fact that the earth is a habitable planet."

Many biologists believe that the process may have even given birth to life itself.

The main benefits of plate tectonics accumulate slowly and globally over the ages. In contrast, its local upheavals can produce regional catastrophes, as the recent Indian Ocean quake made clear.

Even so, scientists say, the Dec. 26 tsunamis may prove to be an ecological boon over the decades for coastal areas hardest hit by the giant waves.

from NY Times

An idea that Earth is just one big intelligent being pops into my mind right now. If you look at the recent events from that perspective - you might notice how small we humans are.
Maybe another lesson to learn?



[edit on 11-1-2005 by jazzgul]

While it's hard to let go of the fact that 150,000 folks died after that tsunami, I find myself highly intriqued by the possibility of how the ecology will be effected in that area. Evolution is a thing that's continually being shaped as it has been since before earth's existence. It is evolution itself that formed the earth by scientific approximation. But we can also look at natural selection, which happens on a much smaller scale than evolution. New species are taking shape everyday, and it happens whenever the geography or inhabitants change. Now that the human population has drastically decreased in that area, will the wildlife begin a transformation? Diseases are expected, but will new species of bacteria arise with microscopic organisms being the fastest evolving creatures? I suppose it would be the aquatic life that would have to be considered next, and I wonder how big the changes have to be before substantial changes can be detected?