SOMETIMES we are forced to remember that we are human first and foremost. Anything else that we might be - English, British, European, black, white, brown, Christian, Muslim, agnostic - comes very much second and afterwards.

The scale of the Pakistani earthquake disaster is one of those times. The British Government, having learned lessons from the Boxing Day tsunami, has responded rapidly, and the British people will undoubtedly donate generously. It would be good if today the Disasters and Emergencies Committee was to co-ordinate the appeal. Without this umbrella committee, would-be donors have to make an invidious choice between sending their money to Unicef or Oxfam or Muslim Aid. How do you make such a choice?

Disasters such as these should remind us how artificial are the boundaries that humans create.

Kashmir is one of the most volatile corners of the world. If there is to be a nuclear war, it will probably be between India and Pakistan over this disputed territory.

Yet the earthquake didn't recognise the border which the governments had drawn in the sand on the ground. It shook both sides, and surrounding countries like Afghanistan as well - just like the mudslides caused by Hurricane Stan have swept through many central American countries this weekend.

So it is reassuring to see India offer assistance to Pakistan in this hour of need. It is reassuring to see Christian charities, which don't usually operate in Muslim Pakistan, wading in to help. And it is reassuring to see many people in European countries donating to alleviate an Asian disaster.

As people, we create so many boundaries - be they geographical, political, religious or just football club. But on all sides of those boundaries, we are all humans.

Birds of augury

WE can make the above comments with such certainty, partly because the modern world is a very small place. People who hail from the afflicted areas now live and work among us in a way that wasn't the case 100 years ago.

Nature doesn't always move as fast as an e-mail or a jumbo jet, but still she moves. Over the weekend, bird flu reached Turkey and Romania. It is now in Europe, three days' flying time, if you are a migrating bird, from Britain.

As a country, we have had enough warning. Our farmers must be vigilant, and our Government must be prepared.