Frankly, there is very little that we - those not in Japan - can do except to donate and pray. In my opinion, we should let the authorities and the experts do their job. The last thing they need is to be second-guessed by armchair critics, for it is easy to say things irresponsibly... and we accomplish nothing by spreading unsubstantiated fears/rumors while putting additional unwanted pressure on our loved ones who are still in Japan. Whether they continue to stay or leave, it is their choice to make and their risk to take. We should stand by their decisions and support them, whenever and however we can.
In days following the disaster, I saw some really nasty posts on FB and a couple of inconsiderate online "jokes" that add insult to injury. Our reaction toward these calamity is what defines us. We pride ourselves to be the wisest or "greatest" of all creation in this planet. Yet are we compassionate and magnanimous to those who had suffered misfortune? Or do we hold onto old grudges and spew spiteful words? In my mind, these people simply exposed their misplaced self-righteousness (payback for Pearl Harbor?? what about Nagasaki and Hiroshima??), sheer ungratefulness (think about the amount of financial and technological aid Japan has been providing the past 50+ years) and cold-blooded apathy (not a shred of sympathy for the massive loss of lives and families torn apart ??) for the world to see.
Maybe these people do not realize that we all live on this planet TOGETHER. We are all in the same "boat". By helping others, we are helping ourselves, indirectly. How sure are we that we'll never have to depend on others for assistance of any sort? Natural disasters cause misery and difficulty to those immediately affected, but its effects will eventually touch EVERYONE, taking into consideration the cyclical nature of Life (water, atmosphere, earth and life).
The suddenness of this catastrophe makes me realized how fragile life is. We are at the mercy of Mother Earth and truth be told, we haven't been very nice to Her all this while. We plunder all the natural resources she bestowed us ruthlessly, we pollute the pristine natural environment relentlessly, we destroy valuable wildlife recklessly and we continue being nasty/cruel/apathetic to one and other.. We wishfully thought we could control everything, including Mother Nature. We foolishly imagine ourselves to be the "Master" of the Planet. The recent natural disasters (like the drought in northern China, the Australian flash floods, earthquakes in Christchurch, Japan and China) showed us how absurd that notion is.
Within a few hours after the quake hit, many lives have lost and changed, while many more continues to be affected to this date. More than twenty-five thousand lives were lost, close to a quarter million remain homeless and almost everyone in Japan, both locals and foreigners, has been transformed one way or another. Comparatively, it is easier to rebuild the cracked roads and collapsed buildings than to heal the emotional and psychological trauma suffered. These unobservable wound might not be visible even after many years (like many survivors of the 2 atomic bombs who refuse to talk about their experience at all), yet this event will no doubt shape the future of the Land of the Rising Sun.
Somehow these natural disasters re-enforced my take that life is impermanent. Thus, I can't helped but ponder: How many dreams have been left unrealized? hopes shattered? aspiration crushed? How many shall live with regrets for things (un)done? words (un)said? What do I have to show for the life that I've lived so far? Did I make the world a better place or leave it worse off than before?? Will I be missed?? by my family? by my friends? Am I a blessing or a curse to the people around me? Will I be eulogized or criticized?
These are definitely food for thought..
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