Courage and honor lie at the very heart of Japanese culture. And amidst one of the most catastrophic disasters of modern times we have seen it shine through in the most inspiring ways.
The immensity of the disaster is still incomprehensible to me. As I sit in my comfortable home watching TV footage of what were once ‘homes’ to thousands of others being decimated by a devastating tsunami I am left with not only extra-ordinary compassion, but also with a sense of disbelief. And if I am honest, an element of gratitude that it is me. Four trains, including a bullet train with 400 passengers, have simply disappeared from the face of the earth. Four nuclear reactors are in various stages of meltdown and electricity blackouts roll out across the nation of nearly 130 million people. Fear of radio active exposure grows steadily by the day.
Thousands upon thousands of Japanese are spending today with very limited rations of rood and water. At night, as the temperatures drop below freezing, they live in temporary shelters. They have no idea how long they will be there. And over the last few days thousands of bodies have washed up upon the shores. Bodies of people who only a week ago were going about their lives. It is only reasonable that those left behind are yet to fully comprehend what is so incomprehensible.
Yet amidst the destruction, the growing fear of nuclear radiation, and tragic loss of life, the Japanese have continued to display extraordinary calm, courage and dignity. There have been no reports of looting as we have at times witnessed following other catastrophic events. Scan the web or the TV and you will not find any video footage of drunks, bullies or people fighting over meager resources. What you will see are people standing in lines for hours, calmly waiting their turn to get whatever share of the limited supplies there are. They take care of their elders and show deference to those who need extra help. To each other, they are civil and polite. Their dignity in the presence of disaster is both humbling and remarkable and it holds a powerful lesson for us all.
The behavior of those in Japan shows us that it is not what happens to us that matters, but how we choose to respond to it. Taking personal responsibility for our own behavior while respecting the needs of the larger community to which we belong is important always. But in a crisis, much less one of this magnitude, it is crucial.
And while you might feel like you don’t share much in common with those whose lives have been turned upside down in a country thousands of miles from your own, I challenge you to think again. They are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, just like you and I. Many have lost everything they own. Some have lost everyone they love. And while we cannot begin to imagine the depth of their loss or grief or shock, what we can do is consder how we can resond with greater dignity, courage and calm to the challenges in our own life. That, and dig into our pockets and support those organizations who will be helping these people rebuild their lives… even if not in the same place or in the same way they were before.
What the world may best learn from the great Japanese earthquake and tsunami of 2011 are simple concepts with names like courage, resilience, honor, dignity, civility, optimism, hope and generosity of spirit. May their example inspire us to live with a little more ourselves.
If you haven’t given already, I urge you to do so now through one of these organizations below.
UNICEF: http://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/two-years-after-tsunami-japan-unicef-support.html
WORLD VISION: http://www.worldvision.org/worldvision/eappeal.nsf/donation-item?Open&amt=50&num=371&campaign=113655219&cmp=KNC-113655219
Thanks Anne. So often in a crisis we see the very best and the very worst of humanity. Here in Japan we have seen only the best . And i think that is something that we can all aspire to and learn from. If there is any lesson in all of this it is the power we each have to choose how we will respond to life in the face of adversity.
Thank you to everyone for your responses. I have decided to edit that one sentence where i made mention of Hurricane Katrina to refer simply to "other catastrophic events". While it was not my intention to get into a debate about stereo-types (frankly it never occured to me), it clearly has caused some people to take offence and distracted from the point i was trying to make. Certainly this has been a learning experience for me as I've become more acutely aware of the sensitivity around anything that could be perceived in anyway as racist.
I suggest to all of those who glorify the japanese ethos to read the war prisoners reports of WWII. These same so-called japanese 'qualities' of courage, calmness and collective striving caused tremendous suffering for millions of chinese civilians…japan culture is an example par excellance of how societal cohesion and solidarity turns against outsiders in the most brutal form imaginable…Japanese cannot teach us absoluetly nothing about ethics!!!
Margie, I strongly believe it’s a noble way to live: “civility, courage and dignity which we are beaing witness to in the presence of such adversity holds a powerful lesson for us all.” What a empowering lifestyle!
Thanks, Margie for you all-inspiring words describing the reactions of the Japanese people~~they have shown a calmness as they suffer in the wake of a horrific disaster~~my concern for many today is the lack of integrity that rears its ugly head during times of crisis. Your message was clear to me that it was the behavior of people you were referring; not anything racist.
Thanks Margie for an inspiring article on such commendable behavior in the midst of what they are going through. I have read and heard about how respectful they behave with old people in everyday life which I don't see as a culture anywhere else. I personally don't think we can just learn these qualities by watching or reading about them. I wonder what it takes to build such a society. Is it the parenting? Is it the education system? Is it their following of a specific spiritual/religious path?
Any thoughts? Any research done in the past exploring the reasons?
Beautiful words and so very true. I think you make your point in a way that we can all relate to… regardless of our race or the color of our skin. I am an African American woman and believe that treating others the way we want to be treated is more important than anything else. The Japanese have much to teach us about the Golden Rule.
This is awesome!