I've never felt the earth move but have sniffed smoke, ashes and the aftermath of bushfires. The fright of inferno is akin to the world being taken away in an instant. It makes bodies tremble and language vanish. In front of violent nature, who are we but helpless and mute?
In bushfires, tsunamis and earthquakes, our relationship to the 'natural' world comes at us like an alive nightmare, and hurts. The natural world might not possess emotions like anger and revenge, but asks violent questions about meaning and action and responsibility. Many ask us to draw a line in our mourning, and only think about the humans. This is repression, for on such occasions humans and nature are bound in a dangerous dance.
In Lisbon 1755 the Western world changed direction. The ground literally moved as the biggest earthquake recorded in Western history hit the Portuguese coast and decimated Lisbon. A tsunami and fires followed. It was All Saints day and many people were at Mass when the earthquake hit. The monarchy fled to the hills to live as nomads, and thousands died.
At the time, God controlled nature. When the quake decimated churches but left brothels untouched the population went wild with rumours that God was vengeful against believers who had lost their way. The great designer of the world was sending a hard message to the Lisbon population through his mute and obedient messenger — the earth.
This natural disaster halted Portugal's imperial project and rendered the Jesuits momentarily impotent, but also founded the modern idea of nature and culture separation. Philosophers like Kant, Rousseau and Voltaire set about exploring what the natural disaster meant. Nature was severed from God, and by consequence human behaviour had no influence on nature's movements.
After Lisbon humans didn't live in the best of all possible worlds, and everything wouldn't be well in the Panglossian sense. Instead we had to make sure we looked after each other and consolidate human communities. Nature was cold, mute and to be treated as we liked, for God had nothing to do with her. Nature made us feel 'sublime' and romantic but lived in a world apart from us. The Enlightenment and modern science fired up.
Today, after natural disasters, those who talk of God's revenge aren't given space, for that is considered anachronistic fundamentalism. Instead we remain back in the aftermath of 1755, as if times haven't changed. Now in the