Not so spectacular if you happen to live in Yogyakarta - like my friend Carol Lolley, who has been trying to organize relief for the more than 200,000 people rendered homeless by a series of worsening eruptions since 26 October.
However, a massive eruption yesterday sent a lethal plume of ash and lava several miles into the atmosphere, raising the death toll to hundreds. Carol has no choice but to flee the city immediately - but she has yet to renew her US passport and all flights out of Yogya - and even Jakarta - have been cancelled.
One feels utterly powerless in the face of something so cataclysmic. Once again, we are reminded how puny we are compared to nature - and how our arrogance has blinded us to the fact that we really have no control over the greater part of the reality spectrum.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFzpx4yOEKcXaa05_hyphenhyphenJwsRXLLjUr_xWOzitcHtm5suxhZPD0aTtTGHealukS0aBRrojBmUFiZ0Y7AJfo1vqgy7anubJpOv8dXK0phmA20-NIwsues1T7Slk637kZUcfTiYiRwtwp2h2f/s400/merapi3.jpg)
Let's send love, moral support, and whatever else possible by way of aid, to our fellow humans afflicted by Merapi's eruption. Indonesia needs our help in these cataclysmic times.
However, a massive eruption yesterday sent a lethal plume of ash and lava several miles into the atmosphere, raising the death toll to hundreds. Carol has no choice but to flee the city immediately - but she has yet to renew her US passport and all flights out of Yogya - and even Jakarta - have been cancelled.
One feels utterly powerless in the face of something so cataclysmic. Once again, we are reminded how puny we are compared to nature - and how our arrogance has blinded us to the fact that we really have no control over the greater part of the reality spectrum.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFzpx4yOEKcXaa05_hyphenhyphenJwsRXLLjUr_xWOzitcHtm5suxhZPD0aTtTGHealukS0aBRrojBmUFiZ0Y7AJfo1vqgy7anubJpOv8dXK0phmA20-NIwsues1T7Slk637kZUcfTiYiRwtwp2h2f/s400/merapi3.jpg)
Let's send love, moral support, and whatever else possible by way of aid, to our fellow humans afflicted by Merapi's eruption. Indonesia needs our help in these cataclysmic times.