Sunday, March 13, 2011

knowing where to start

I wonder how you know, when your city is destroyed by an earthquake or tsunami, where to start in the re-building process. I mean, how do you put your grief aside -- especially if you have lost your home and all possessions and maybe even loved ones -- and begin picking up the debris? I wonder that too when I see photos or footage of whole cities destroyed during World War II and reduced to nothing but rubble, and somehow those cities didn't cease to exist.

It would be so tempting to run away and start life somewhere else when faced by monumental tasks like that.

I must say, though, that of all the countries that I've visited, Japan gives the impression of being the most organized and practical. These people will figure out how to manage this disaster and will learn from it and be a model for the rest of us when we face hard times. But nobody should have to go through such awfulness.

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