Quake commiserations

My commiserations to those directly affected by the November 14 quake that reminded all New Zealanders we live on a shaky isle and that life is precarious -- and precious -- as two were killed, one man in the collapse of this Kaikoura home that his family had lived in for more than fifty years, though his 100-year-old mother survived the collapse, a bittersweet escape for her, no doubt.

Also, our capital city of Wellington incurred heavy damage to its harbour port, as pictured here, along with some damage to a number of city buildings, though many held strong in part due to earthquake proofing that must be at least some consolation for those living there. 

And the seal colony that we and so many others had observed with delight on that stretch of southern highway is now destroyed with the coastal landslip caused by the quake, also shown here. 

So much damage in so little time, though it could have been so much worse. The predicted tsunami never eventuated, though the quake's epicentre was centred off the Kaikoura coast. 

But with nature so destructive when it wants to be, we really need to do all that we can to counter that destructiveness by bringing as much warmth and kindness and togetherness to the world that is within our human power alone to do. Nature reminds us of the unique power we have, we should all take heed.