Stay safe, stay home

One of the deceits, one of the by-now unsupported imaginings that defines our notion of ourselves is that we are all pretty alert to the rhythms of nature, that we have a special empathy with the physical world around us. Most of us, are after all, just a generation or two, maybe three now, away from the family farm.

Therefore, it is more than surprising that gardaí have had to warn people that they are putting their children in the gravest jeopardy by taking them to gawp at floods, sea storms, huge waves crashing on the shore or rivers in a raging flood.

Maybe our disconnect with nature is so profound that some of us have no understanding of the lethal, blind power of angry nature. Maybe this is why gardaí had to issue this warning. It is bad enough that ignorant people put their children in danger but by doing so they are also, potentially, risking the lives of emergency service personnel. If you must go and see the sea storms or rivers in flood do it from a distance and do it safely.