The Japanese People Remain Selfless In Spite Of The Great Tsunami, Earthquake Tragedy
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We have had a plethora of natural disasters the past few years, but what just happened in Japan could turn into one of the worst to date. Not only did the country suffer through a record breaking earthquake (for Japan) with at least 90 aftershocks (5 of which were 6.0 plus magnitude), then came the tsunami which virtually submerged the city of Sendai killing up to 1,700 people. The numbers of dead and missing keep rising, and so far there have been at least 7,000 confirmed dead and over 10,000 still missing. Now they are dealing with the aftermath of the explosion at the nuclear reactor, which means the worst may yet come. And unfortunately, because Japan was dealt a triple blow, and the priority was to stave off a nuclear disaster, help has been slow for the survivors and rescue efforts. There are people with no water, food, shelter or electricity.
And yet, in spite of all the chaos and tragedy, the people have managed to remain calm and poised and caring, as is their way. There have been no media reports of looting, and one L.A. Times article perfectly describes just how resilient and selfless the people can be.
The first thing Hiroko Yamashita did after she was found in the rubble pinned under a heavy bookcase was to apologize to her rescuers for inconveniencing them, and suggested they make sure there weren't other more needy souls who needed help. This from an old woman who had been stuck under the book shelf for hours, with a shattered ankle. The article goes on to describe other instances of how even in the chaotic aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, people still thought of others before themselves. Tokyo's public transportation suffered in a big way, and yet when a few train routes finally started up again, the huge queues remained orderly and polite. No shoving and pushing, as one might expect anywhere else. One commuter, Kojo Saeseki said. "It would be uncivilized to try to push and shove, and what good would it do anyway?"
With this kind of attitude, we can only root for these people, knowing that if anyone can pull themselves out of this terrible catastrophe, it will be the Japanese.
