What the Japan earthquake / tsunami can teach us

[Android]

Ten things to learn from the tragedy in Japan.

1. THE CALM
Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated.

2. THE DIGNITY
Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture.

3. THE AVAILABILITY
The incredible architects. The buildings swayed but didn’t fall.

4. THE GRACE
People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something.

5. THE ORDER
No looting in shops. No honking and no-overtaking on the roads. Just understanding.

6. THE SACRIFICE
Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. A fire fighter rang a hand bell in defiance of the tsunami until he was swept out to sea. How will they ever be repaid?

7. THE TENDERNESS
Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The
strong cared for the weak.

8. THE TRAINING
The old and the children, everyone knew what to do. And they did just that.

9. THE MEDIA
They showed magnificent restraint in the news bulletins. No silly reporters. Only calm reportage.

10. THE CONSCIENCE
When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the shelves and left quietly.

 

[wadeypops]

Come on, that can't all be true. Specially # 10.

 

[Lilgoldfish]

We all could learn from this

 

[Karim Nassef]

Tough for North Americans. You have to be born and raised in their culture.

 

[moxie]

Or just have morals and compassion

 

[howtodeal2008]

How many people do you know that have those qualities?.

 

[Pyros]

More than you would guess.

Consider all those who neither loot, kill or whine in front of the camera, after a disaster to be candidates

 

[DOLL]

Where is the source for this wonderful piece of news?

 

[Pompal 09.]

the source..hmmmmm how about my eyes. When I was in Japan last year, many of those Japanese people exhibitted those qualities as Art mentioned....thus I am not surprised at all.

 

[kyliexkryptonite]

I don't buy this story at all. There has been news that vandalism is taking its toll in Japan.

Again, where did you get this story?

Looks like a farce for me.

 

[richard m]

While I agree, they are a very ordered and civil society I don't buy that all the above happened everywhere, all the time.

Especially #8, all the training and drills didn't work for some. There was a great special episode on the earthquake and tsunami on Nova this week and in one town, the tsunami alarms were going off and people were just walking and driving around. Like that one video of the water breaching the sea walls and tossing the boats under a bridge: people were standing on the bridge filming and watching. If the training was so good, why weren't they in the hills like they were supposed to be?

One of the things that DID highlight the japanese culture was when the crew hired to search for victims in one town that was virtually wiped out, whenever they found a body buried in the mud and debris, instead of just sticking the flag into the ground, they stopped, bowed their heads, gave a little prayer and bowed respectfully.

 

[Morgan Galligan]

..perhaps we could say MANY people did....