We’ve just experienced a most unusual event here in Britain: a cloudless blue sky lasting a whole weekend is a rarity in itself, but what made this one so exceptional was that it was completely free of vapour trails or the familiar noise of jet engines roaring overhead.
Instead, there were nothing but clear skies and the cheerful sound of spring birdsong.
This unprecedented interlude of peace and quiet was the work of a volcano in Iceland, which has achieved the seemingly impossible: grounding all flights from UK airspace for an indefinite period of time.
The drifting cloud of ash has stranded thousands people outside the country, prevented others from leaving and has deprived us of all manner of air-freighted goods.
Despite the obvious terrible inconvenience caused to many, the volcanic eruption gives us reason to think seriously about our relationship with nature and how much we take our power as human beings for granted.
It also reminds us how reliant we’ve become on imported goods and why it makes sense to go for seasonal produce whenever possible.
Over the past few days, even the most environmentally-friendly have admitted to feeling unsettled at the prospect of going without tomatoes in April! But there are many scenarios that could result in everyone having to rely on locally-produced food, so why not get used to the idea now?
It’s hard for us to comprehend that a force completely unaffected by human whims could affect our lives so drastically, but now it’s happened, we have a good opportunity to remind ourselves how nature is still stronger than us all and can intervene at any moment in our lives. It gives us a better idea of our real place in the universe.
This reality check is humbling and a little scary, but it’s good to be aware that unforeseen events can appear from nowhere, and knowing this makes us better equipped to deal with when our plans our thrown off course.
We may like to think, there are many aspects of life that are outside our control, and developing a more flexible attitude is the only way to deal with life’s inevitable surprises.
Image: Horia Varlan
