It's a bit like fishing; every now and then you might just find something worthwhile. I found one such gem this week. I hope the author will not mind my quoting it word for word here:

"Dear humans,You fell asleep in one world and woke up in another. Suddenly Disney is out of magic, Paris is no longer romantic, New York doesn't stand up any more, the Chinese wall is no longer a fortress, and Mecca is empty. Hugs & kisses suddenly become weapons, and not visiting parents and friends becomes an act of love. Suddenly you realise that power, beauty, and money are worthless, and can't get you the oxygen you're fighting for. The world continues its life and it is beautiful. It only puts humans in cages. I think it is sending us a message: You are not necessary. The air, earth, water, and sky without you are fine. When you come back, remember that you are my guests. Not my masters. Sincerely, Planet Earth."

It's not the best piece of writing you've ever read but the message is perfectly clear and I commend the author for writing it.

Back in 2004, when called upon for a single word to sum up a magically beautiful natural scene in a remote part of the South Island, the the well-known columnist Joe Benett came up with: 'indifferent'.

Joe was saying that nature is indifferent. It doesn't care about humans, lakes, butterflies, or anything else. A scene may be exquisitely beautiful to the eyes of a particular human but it undoubtedly encompasses countless organisms all locked in mortal combat for their very survival, none of which could give a toss who is watching or what they think.

Richard Dawkins explores this concept in his 1976 book 'The Selfish Gene' suggesting that all life is simply the result, for the time being, of life itself - whether in the form of the left foot of a rabbit, a single cell of a virus, or an orchid - simply attempting to survive.

Now for my view: We are not entirely sure why we are on Planet Earth, nor indeed why Planet Earth exists at all- although we are getting there with the 'how'. Nature couldn't care less about us - or anything else. All matter simply exists according to the laws of physics. Religion has, in all cases has been devised by groups of humans seeking to exert control and power over other humans, and we do not need it to provide a moral compass. We can be good or bad all by ourselves.

The current situation, crisis, pandemic, whatever you want to call it, is just another day at the office for nature. Our part in this play is beyond our own determination.

Let's just be good to each other, and the planet we live on, while we're here.