Ring of Fire

I think the basic point of the video was to symbolically compare the actual Ring of Fire, the horseshoe shaped area lined with volcanoes and earthquakes that line the Pacific, to an actual "ring" that starts at one place, goes through a transition, and comes back "full circle" to start anew.

Three main themes in the video were "Life is Reappearing", "Paradise and Catastrophe" and "Creation and Destruction"; all deal with starting at one point, moving around in a circle, continuing the cycle over and over indefinitely.

Life is destroyed after a volcano. The eruptions cause hot lava to destroy the natural habitat of many animals and some people, causing the instability of the system. But after a while, when the system becomes stable again, life reappears. New organisms thrive in the changed habitat, providing food for other species and that is one of the ways the circle is complete.

Paradise and catastrophe go hand in hand as well. The catastrophic eruption of Mauna Kea underwater provided the beautiful paradise that is now Hawaii. Now many people and animals thrive on that island and many use it as a vacation spot.

The Earth has both creative and destructive powers. That is even evident with the 2004 Earthquake in East Asia and the following tsunami, and the creation of new islands such as the aforementioned Hawaii and the up and coming "Loihi" which is currently on the hotspot in the Pacific.

Living on the Ring of Fire affects my daily life because I am constantly faced with the fact that a major earthquake can happen at anytime. Unlike hurricanes and tornados, earthquakes are unpredictable but also have the potential to cause damage. The devastation that occurred with the 2004 East Asia earthquake made me panic a little bit, especially living right here relatively close to the San Andreas Fault and living on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. I'm constantly thinking how terrible it would be if a major earthquake took place, causing a tsunami that could end so many peoples' lives over here in Los Angeles. The fact that it happened less than two years ago makes it a looming threat, and the fact that there is absolutely nothing I can do to prepare for it makes matters even worse.

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