Saturday, March 12, 2011

Japan

I would like to take a moment to actually blog about something important.  Since Friday morning I've been constantly refreshing cnn.com, attempting to obtain some kind of information.  As I'm sure everyone knows by now, a 8.9 magnitude earthquake devastated Japan, followed by a catastrophic tsunami.  Hundreds of bodies are washing on shore, and the death count is quickly rising.

On top of all of that, a nuclear reactor in Japan is currently on the meltdown because the quake knocked out the power source.  No power means that the reactors cannot efficiently cool themselves, which can wreak all sorts of havoc.  Over a hundred thousand citizens have had to be evacuated.  Even as things stand right now, it's the third worst nuclear disaster in the history of nuclear power, and it's not even over yet.

If you can donate anything, then please do.  To give $10, just text REDCROSS to 90999.

This whole thing just has me shaken up.  Watching the videos of the disaster was the worst.  People fleeing as the world falls apart around them.  Walls of water carrying debris sweeping across fields, ruining livelihoods.  Cars, boats, and planes being tossed about like they were nothing.  The sheer futility of man against the will of nature.

Imagine people--regular, ordinary people--on their phones right now, desperately trying to get in touch with their loved ones, their wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, friends.  Desperately hoping that special person will answer the phone.  And most times, that person will pick up.  But sometimes he or she won't.  Imagine all those people crying from the relief their loved one is okay, the uncertainty about the future, the terrible inevitability that someone they know and love is dead.  

It just kind of puts things on a personal level.  There's really nothing funny about any of this.  And I'm shocked that some people can joke.  Or even worse, how they can simply not care.  How can you not care that your fellow humans are suffering around you?  What if you were caught in that terrible tsunami?  Worse, what if it was someone you cared about?  Would you care then?

Just something to think about.

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