Text and Wildfire Smoke Photos©Jim Robertson

These days, there are times when it seems Mother Nature hates us and is out to kill us, but, though she’d be well within her rights considering how recklessly and thoughtlessly she’s been abused throughout our species’ long history, I can assure you She has nothing more than self-preservation in mind.

I refer to Mother Nature (or Mother Earth) as “She” in part because “He” has already been so widely used by believers in a Great Creator, whom, if he in fact existed and brought forth all life in its present state, would have every reason to want with equal fervor to do away with our species (which I can imagine He regrets making in His own image).

No, Mother Nature’s motive for her recent destructive behavior is to begin to clean the slate (as has happened numerous times in the past) to re-stimulate the evolutionary process that will eventually lead to even more diversity of life than existed before our increasingly one-sided epoch, even as our species of homo dreams of colonizing new planets across the vast void of space.

But, if a Mother or Father figure has anything to say about it, I’m sure they’d tell us that before we can go out and play, we have to finish our homework and start trying to get along with our brothers and sisters. Based on humans’ past record, I wouldn’t hold my breath…