Great planet; pity about its people

Another fabulous day in Cape Town - sea glossy as a mirror, the odd wave breaking with a crack along the rocky shoreline, smoke from yet another wildfire providing ideal conditions for a spectacular sunset, and summery temperatures in the upper 20s.
Driving over the fire-blackened mountains via Ou Kaapse Weg, I spotted a protea bush among the skeletal remnants of 20 years' growth that had decided not to give up - each branch had sprouted new leaves along its entire length, something I have never seen happen on a protea, and it was so uplifting to see that nature overcomes all adversity in a cycle of constant renewal.

At a time when one has to question whether Man serves any useful purpose on this planet, and the atrocities perpetrated by the human race not only among themselves, but also against the flora and fauna of this world, it is comforting to know that when we have long since disappeared from this beautiful blue dot hurtling through the universe in an insignificant spiral arm of a lesser galaxy, that which knows not how to hate and destroy will remain as evidence that peace and love will endure forever.