As we know, on Friday, 11 March 2011, the Japan earthquake took place. It was an extremely large scale earthquake, measuring 9.0 magnitude. It was additionally compounded with the tsunami, taking away many lives and leaving people missing.
In the large number of high magnitude earthquakes that is happening to the world as we progress into this century, many places have gone through such earthquakes already, such as one in New Zealand, or further back, Sichuan and Haiti.
All these turmoil, troubles and widespread devastation that these earthquake-victims have faced, as we have all seen on the news, have truly appeared to show the true personalities of people. For example, in previous earthquakes similar to this, there has been a large number of looting cases, crime rates increasing or disorder around. People may not want to work with rescue teams. However, we hear that in Japan, things are very orderly. People queue up for their daily food, and coordinate with the rescue workers. There is a simple explanation for this; education from young. The citizens of Japan have long been taught what to do in case of an earthquake; they act appropriately, behave well. There has also been little reports of cases of looting, showing the Japanese Spirit.
In addition, we have definitely heard about the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant incident, in which the power plant ceased to function properly, and there was high levels of radiation within the power plant. Now the majority of workers at the power plant have left, leaving 50 workers in the power plant only, of which 20 of them are voluntary. Why do these workers choose to stay in the power plant? They know full well the consequences; they could potentially die within 2 weeks, and even if they live much longer than that, they would be permanently alienated from society, and will probably live their live forever in seclusion. Some have sent messages to their families saying "Take good care of the kids. I'm not coming back." Such messages, despite being short, conveys their willingness to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their nation, Japan.
However, this disaster does not just show the character of the earthquake-victims; it shows the character of people that have responded to it. Many people have donated large sums of money to help relief efforts, and it shows their generosity and humanitarianism. However, there are this group of people who have responded in an entirely different way. They refuse to donate to the relief efforts, saying "Japan is now receiving retribution due to their heinous crimes in World War II." Worse still, they encourage others not to help. I do not agree, however. Doing as such, to me, is just trying to take revenge on the Japanese. How does taking revenge on them make one any different from what they did in World War II? Also, Confucius one said "Before you embark on a journey for revenge, dig two graves." Truly, revenge gives one no benefit, except pleasure to see the other party suffer. Revenge might even be detrimental to themselves. And, even more plainly, haven't the Japanese received enough retribution from the nuclear bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? I hope people who take such a stand will reconsider.
I earnestly wish for Japan to be able to get over such a tragic incident as soon as possible.
Hi Wen Hong,
ReplyDeleteI liked how you phrased your thoughts on the horrible disaster than struck Japan. Like you, I was really amazed at how the Japanese can remain calm, composed and organised even after an earthquake, with little or no reports of any looting whatsoever. Amazing, isn’t it? In Singapore, we jostle and push one another just to secure a space on the bus, but in Japan, the people really display a strong sense of community spirit, a spirit that makes them care for others, or in your words, the “Japanese spirit.” This really made me respect the Japanese even more, and I am still in shock at why Mother Nature would choose this extremely civilised country to inflict an earthquake on. :(
Another point you mentioned was the negative remarks made by certain members of the public about the incident. Personally, I was enraged at this, and it really displayed the childish attitudes of people. Japan has suffered for the mistakes they have made, and now that they are struck by an earthquake, what they needs most is support from the public, not criticism and sarcastic remarks! >:(
In conclusion, I really liked your posts, and I feel that you have successfully tackled the main topics being debated over in your post. I’m happy to see that evidence and elaboration is provided, and I must commend you for a job well done, Wen Hong! :D
Cheers,
Roystan
Dear Wen Hong,
ReplyDeleteI rather enjoyed reading this blog post as you have described events rather briefly and put in a greater amount of thought and reflection. I agree that the reaction of the Japanese to this disaster has been rather surprising when compared to other countries. You could perhaps have also talked about how education could have resulted in this difference between Japan and other countries which have experienced similar disasters.
I think that you could have elaborated on the negative effects of bearing a grudge against the Japanese about how the Japanese "deserved it". I also liked your inserting quotes from Confucius, however, I think that Confucius has been wrong in saying that one should dig two graves when on a path for revenge. Instead of just two graves, more graves should be dug. If one sets out for revenge, someone from the opposing party will just take revenge on that person, resulting in a never ending and truly vicious cycle. Instead of bearing grudges against people and accusing innocent people of crimes which they have never committed, those people who refuse to help and instead say that Japan deserves it should learn to be more understanding towards other people during times of crisis.
Regards,
Chong Kai En (2i106)