Japan is still reeling from the effects of the tsunami.
The human tragedy, the physical devastation, the ecological destruction, the nuclear catastrophe.
When added together it will be generations before the country fully recovers…if ever.
Clearly earthquakes and tsunamis are inevitable. And despite all of our modern technology and know-how, they remain the same kind of inevitable they have been since humankind started recording them. And I’m not sure that any sea wall will ever contain the fury.
I have been obsessed with this since the terrible event – wondering what could have been done to prevent the full fury of nature unleashed – as I’m not that optimistic to
believe that we can ever stop the geo forces at play of shifting plates and ensuing forces and counter forces.
I say this as one who has an earthquake-tracking app on my iPad as well as one for hurricanes and other severe storm systems, including a tsunami advisory – all loaded long before Japan.
And therein lies my rage.
Because it is clear that so much of the catastrophe and its ensuing heartbreak could have been avoided – despite its inevitability. But not as you might think.
I have written already about the callous disregard for anything but profits that has put the world at risk because of the leaking radiation.
But little did I realize that a warning system existed in Japan and that it was ignored – blatantly…in fact. More to the point – it wasn’t an early warning system – but a clear and precise protocol for averting disaster.
Called the Tsunami Stones, many have been in place for over 400 years – marking high water lines of previous tsunamis – and many were carved with specific instructions – like run like hell when the ground shakes or more specifically – do not build houses below this mark.
I was struck by the poignancy of it all as we have all read the stories of those who walked the sea walls confident that technology would stop the waves – only to be swept away with the walls – and while early warning systems and good training did save many – in fact most – it did nothing to stop or slow down the sheer destruction as homes and businesses – and lifetimes of memories – were destroyed in mere seconds.
Think about it. There was learning to be had. Learning that had been recorded and shared – not fleetingly through tweets or IMs – but for posterity on a fixed medium. Learning that was ignored and forgotten – no doubt because it seemed so old…traditional… dinosaur like…you get the drift.
Think about it – imagine if nothing had been built below those stones…imagine if the learnings had been heeded.
Listen:
“Perhaps I am doomed to retrace my steps under the illusion that I am exploring, doomed to try and learn what I should simply recognize, learning a mere fraction of what I have forgotten.” Breton, Andre
What a powerful lesson. What a powerful thought.
My take is that we need to simply recognize way more in our lives and environment while stopping the charade of discovering new and unique that is merely recycled and used.
How much more powerful will be all at our disposal if we lost the illusions and concentrated on the real.
So while I check my apps – I will be looking for high water marks in my real life…
Your thoughts?
A nice piece David and a great lesson in not throwing out the old with the new. Both are of value, such as the mix of traditional and digital marketing platforms.
David,
sadly it seems that the world is in the grips of this profits at any risk madness.
We have seen it just about wreck our economy. We have seen it devastate the hard working middle class
in the form of higher and higher gas prices, job losses, savings loss and ” the hidden tax ” inflation.
Why does it seem that it takes crisis before our leaders wake up and work toward the common good ?
Thanks for your thought provoking emails. As you can see it has got me thinking.
Ritch
In his concept of “Repetition Compulsion,” Freud say we tend to relive our behavior of past painful events over and over again in an attempt to master them. Unfortunately, it seems we do a lot of “reliving” and not nearly enough “mastering”.
Japan as a culture, unlike here in the United States has a double perspective of embracing the new while firmly planted in the history of the past. They have one of the oldest populations on the planet and one of the most advanced in education. Ironically I have learned first hand where these two generations can clash, my in-laws are south of Tokyo and Yokohama, thankfully they were safe (this time). My wife’s parents are both WW2 survivors and have a “we can handle the bomb we can handle anything” attitude that helps the persevere, nevertheless they are fearful and skeptical of the Internet and still cling to conventional forms of communication of the letter or phone (land line). This are not your typical Japanese family the are a family that live the life in Japan’s Diplomatic service, having seen posts in 1rst and 3rd world countries and lived through wars and conflicts in many of these.
Japan’s Government had spent a lot of resources to reinforce its infrastructure with great anticipation of a quake in the south that was/has been expected for over a decade. Earthquakes and tsunami’s are so common in Japan that they are too often relegated to background noise like a passing ambulance or fire engine. This creates a jaded attitude that Mother Nature will not allow to go unanswered. We are far seeing the last of this activity on a global scale. I have heard about thoughts regarding Japans south as well as the northern coast of the Mediterranean.
Hopefully we will have the wisdom to look back to prepare forward.
“Those who ignore history are bound (or doomed) to repeat it”
- George Santayana
Agreed , history is a great teacher. Let’s look and learn.
David, what you have written, is exceptionally thought-provoking. I had the pleasure of meeting the MD and CFO of a very specific international group — an NGO that spends all its time and resources on — what I had thought to be — making plans to avert the catastrophes that we now see or experience on almost a daily basis [well, it IS daily as hundreds of thousands of plant and animal species are wiped out every second. Imagine my shock when I asked him which plans they were putting in place to avert these disasters, and the following response hit me like a tsunami: 'There is no more time for strategies of intervention or prevention. We have long ago crossed that line. All that we are now working on in great haste, is how to manage the terrible future that awaits us and our children.' So, strategies for survival. The further shock that ties in so well with your piece, is his parting shot: 'As long as we have capitalism, there is no hope of saving the planet [and ourselves].
My take is there is life in every single thing created — from the stones to the stars. They have been here for billions of years, yet man will manage to destroy all and wipe himself out in a mere 5 million years. Mother Gaia has had more than enough: She will shake us off her body like flees from a dog, and continue, and who knows where we will be?
Thanks for your piece. It is great.
It is amazing how often and in how many different ways Freud and Santayana and others voice the same/similar thoughts and just as amazing as to how clealry they are ignored.
David, you’re right. People often forget that hitory repeats itself. Wars. Economic bubbles. And this time, tsunami that was not supposed to be that big and destructive. And the new water mark for people living in Tokyo like me is that electricity doesn’t come cheap. 3/11 reminds us all that our wealth and daily convenience rely on invisible lifelines. Now the lifeline is clearly visible in the form of the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plants. No one knows for sure how long it will take to contain the damge. One thing for sure is we need to adapt to a new normal life of electricity shortage by one-third till new power plants are constructed to fill in the gap. This is the price people in Tokyo have to pay for since Japan didn’d learn anything from the Chernobyl and Three-MIle-Island incidents. And I hope the rest of the world would prepare for the next.