2013年3月11日月曜日

Three things I learned from the Tohoku Earthquake


It has been two years since the earthquake and Tsunami hit the east part of Japan in 2011.  I have experienced two big earthquakes in my life.  One was Hanshin-Awaji in 1995, and the other this in 2011.
I’ve been fortunate enough to live through these earthquakes, however millions of peoples’ lives have seriously been changed because of the two earthquakes.  Some lost their lives, some lost their love ones, some lost their homes, and some lost their jobs.

There are three things I’m sure to say through these experiences.
One is that we really can’t expect what will happen in the future, and those events can be totally uncontrollable.  Nothing can be 100% sure.  It is therefore a good idea to avoid too much concentration of our assets.

Secondly, we are facing so many risks consciously or unconsciously, and the sensitivity towards those risks varies a lot.  I learned it through the past two years especially from the argument with the risk of radiation.  My wife and I have very different views especially on this matter, and it is almost impossible to close the gap.  Through tons of discussions, I came to respect her view and her will to move out of Tokyo for the sake of our daughter even though my personal view is different.  It is sometimes wise not to try to change someone’s mind but to find a way to cope with it.


Lastly, it is much healthier for us to focus on what we are doing than on unknown risks.  Being cautious is sometimes smart, but being worried is not productive.  Life is short, so let’s focus on making the world better.  That should be the best tribute for those who suddenly lost their lives in the earthquake.  The pic above is from Kamaishi city and it says, "We'll make this town better than before!"

May peace come for everyone tonight whose life has been affected by the earthquake.

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