The world we live in

As humans, we tend to think of ourselves as rather powerful creatures, capable of shaping the future of our planet and everything in it. Sure. But then the tail of a cyclone brushes some of our cities, and all hell breaks loose. Our roads become congested, our public transport system melts down and we are paralysed when electricity is cut to our homes. I was in Canberra when bushfires hit the city a few years ago. Once again, absolute mahem. 400 homes destroyed. We lost power for 3 days. And the ACT government was forced to appeal to Canberrans to stop flushing their toilets because the lower molonglo swerage plant had been damaged by fire.