by Louie Tacker 

Last week, not far from where I live, a brush fire raged along the shoreline, burning wildly for over five hours inside a government owned park/beach area. Flames were over 30 feet high at times and many families were evacuated, as the fire jumped wildly, upredictably from spot to spot, as over 200 firemen plus helicopters were needed to finally bring it under control.

Thankfully, no one was injured and property damage was minimal, but what got me thinking, as I listened to people talk about it - was that they were blaming the park service for not cutting away the brush. Well, you know what - the brush has been there since time began, serving a purpose for wildlife that needs it for breeding and living. Ecological issues would be involved if we were to just tear it down and clean it up.

The fact is - it is we humans who are to be blamed, as we have infringed on nature. Years ago, no houses were even close to this area, but in our quest to expand and move closer to the oceans, mountains and so forth, we have upset the balance of nature. Fires have burned almost every spring as part of the cycle of nature - often in forests and brushlands - for it is nature’s way of clearing itself so it can grow back even more densely and more beautiful than before.

Have we, as a people all over the world become so self centered, that now we even challenge nature? Yes, there are always tragic events when human life and property damage is severe, such as the tsunami that killed thousands of people in Thailand, Indonesia and neighboring Asian countries, hurricane Katrina - that devastated New Orleans in America last year, floodings all over the world, tornadoes, monsoons and so on. These natural incidents are not new and have occurred as far back as records go. But the thing is - they have escalated  today because we have invaded on nature in our quest for space.

In America on the West Coast in California, people have built on cliffs overlooking the ocean. Yes, beautiful views, expensive homes, but then when the rains come and mudslides occur and these homes fall into the sea - we blame nature.

It seems that as we grow, stretch out for new land, we want to live more by oceans and shorelines. We are losing our respect for nature - a very dangerous thing to do, because nature in all forms is more powerful than man can ever be.

Yes, our messing around with nature is taking an incredible stretch that we now fool with genes, cloning and other medical procedures that most definitely tamper with the course of nature, many times with the reason of finding medical cures, which is fine. But we also must REMEMBER that there is a price to pay when we disturb nature’s cycle - we may cure some, but others may suffer.

I see there are certain parts in India where the tigers are more frequently attacking people. Well, the real reason is that people are encroaching  on where the tigers live. It has happened here in the U.S. as people move deeper into the mountain areas. Bear attacks have risen. People are angry… angry? We have invaded their homes, taken their land, what do we expect them to do?

It is our way as humans to be curious, to be daring to seek adventure, to challenge nature, climb that mountain or fish the rough seas of the North Atlantic in winter for the precious crabs that are harvested there, but the old time fishermen don’t complain at the loss of lives. They accept it as part of the job and respect the nature of the violent ocean there.

We must work our best to be in harmony with this world we live in. We must in many ways avoid tampering with its balance, and allow its natural course to take place with the most minimum disturbance that we can manage.