Wow, all of a sudden, my chair moved and I thought I was just a. bit dizzy. However, no, it was a small earthquake and my colleague confirmed it. Once again, I realize how stupid are borders and flags – plus our daily insignificant problems.

We are all one, on this little rock, during the small time frame of the human species. The forces beneath the ground here in the East Mediterranean do not cease to remind us. It doesn’t matter if you are across the borders or in the middle of tectonic plates that have shapes and sizes and activity independent of the paths of borders. They do not ask, they do not judge – although the megalomania of the human species judges first and asks questions later. We also have this tendency of protecting “our gang” – and everybody judges those outside it: “I am good, you are not.”

Nobody asks anyone, “are you Ok with that? Do you mind…?” And of course, TV and social media make it much worse.

Nature? Oh, that is a vice versa situation.

Nature has specific rules for everyone – it does not play favorites in the context of a general direction that enables all to thrive. Even the earthquakes participate in that. All that ‘motion’ is not for nothing. It really helps the ecosystem to grow. Changes are made that support creation and development. Mountains appear, new little ecological niches are created, and new species arrive and thrive.

Well, the species most adaptable to change and that continues to thrive is humanity, but this superior mental ability to cope with emergencies has a drawback. A recent study showed that trauma and natural disasters are interlinked. The psychopathological and traumatic consequences of earthquakes in Greece in the last 40 years showed that acute stress, post-traumatic stress, but also an increase in the incidence of fatal health attacks follow earthquakes.

The Earth is not ‘attacking’ us, she just ‘does her thing’ – which we must pay attention to, and ask ourselves: “What are we doing the Earth.

Evropi-Sofia Dalampira holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics and an MSc in Botany-Biology.