How selfish are we?

When the first big shake happened I was in a bookstore in Nohonbashi.  It started small and was not a surprise, but at some point I realized it was pretty big and worse than usual.  I also noticed that it was slow and rolling, so it meant that the center of the quake was far away.  But at the same time it was terrible big for a slow roller.  My next thought was, “god help the people at the center of this.”

It is not a selfish thought.  But it was not followed up.  I was truly concerned about people at the center, but what could I do?  I was in a bookstore shaking.  After that I also did nothing.  Not easy to help from here and not easy or reasonable to go there.  I would just be in the way.

It is easier to worry about helping a person in my family, or living next door, or very near.  A person in front of my house.  But people in a tsunami in Bangladesh?  Folks in the middle of tribal war in and African country?  Rebels fighting in Libya?  I am concerned for all, but basically do not help.  When in our sorry earth is there not a disaster happening somewhere?

There is some hope and expectation that governments that I directly support with my money will give assistance.  But I do not help.  Maybe I will give a little extra money, donate clothes, or an old blanket, not complain when the power company blacks my house out for a few hours to save power.  OK.

Mostly, people in these situations have to suffer.  They have to help themselves.  And professionals have to help.

Selfish?

Here is my selfish worry.  This last earthquake was terrible for the people living northeast of here.  Horrible.  Many people lost their lives, or had homes, whole ways of life destroyed in a wave, in a minute.  Horrible, sad.  But on a national scale, Japan can handle it.  Aid will get there.  Professionals and local volunteers will be pulling people out of rubble rescuing them from house tops.  Water will get through, food, blankets.  People will have to sit in cold community centers, eating cold rice balls.  Not happy, not easy, but help really is on the way.

What about Tokyo?

If this kind of a thing, rather, When this kind of a quake does hit Tokyo – Who will come?  Who will help?

Tokyo is the center, communications, government, roads, trains, airports - 12 million people, more!  When the tsunami is rolling up through Nihonbashi, Ginza, Kasumigaseki, up here as far as Ueno mountain, when the landfill much of this town is built upon liquefies, when the giant gas tanks catch fire and the fires rolls like an express train through the low lands, which is most of Tokyo. 

Who will come to help?

I can’t imagine the scale of it.  Who can?

cell phone warning of a quake already in progress

It is why bread is sold out at the local store today, people buying as many bags of rice as they can carry, flashlights are all sold out.

It is why people in Tokyo walk so softly this morning, as if they were afraid of setting off the big one with a heavy step.

It won’t come this week, or next.  It will not come when we are all looking.  But everybody knows, every scientist, every kid in school, knows it will come, and sooner rather than later.

Who will come to help us then?

What to do?

People outside think we should all get on a plane.  "I will send you money.  Fly out!"

Japanese do not think of this.  It is their home.  Where would they go?  Why?
I have lived here in Japan over 20 years.  I guess it is also my home now.  I do not think about getting on a plane and flying away.


It is pretty dangerous here too.  Have  20, 000 people died this week in the quakes and tsunami?  Probably more.

How many people died in the World Trade Center?  I know two of my friends did.  How many people died from gun accidents and gun crime in America this year?  How many people in cars?