It is unlikely that the calamity will ever be fully measured. When chaos strikes, all the normal avenues of existence are blocked, and the suffering of people becomes terrible. And when order is finally restored, many weeks, months, or even years later, the specifics of the catastrophe have combined into one incomprehensible mass of suffering. There hasn't been any natural violence since the western hemisphere was discovered that even comes close to the catastrophic intensity of what the Pacific coast experienced. The only other catastrophe even close to matching or exceeding it was the Civil War, which was caused by man's sinful desires driving him to kill his brother when Nature would have preferred he live in peace. The large city of San Francisco is the center of attention, but smaller places have also seen their share of devastation, terror, and suffering. Beyond their bounds, over a large region, the earth's trembling destroyed property, toppled homes, and reduced wealth to destitution. If we think about it, perhaps we can arrive at a useful estimation of our own relative insignificance. There are many ignoble aspects of human life, and the race is weak and insignificant in relation to the physical powers of the cosmos in an almost despicable way. It could be necessary for a Superior Power to intervene directly, even if it causes physical harm, in order to convince us to reassess our direction. The wisest men have been the ones who are most willing to acknowledge the benefits of suffering-based discipline.
