Tsunami Water Makes Lousy Lemonade
Mar 25th, 2011 by Kimberly
When Samuel Morse invented the telegraph, the first message he transmitted was “What hath God wrought?” I always thought he was quoting scripture. Now I know – he was having a vision of March, 2011.
In the past couple of weeks, I’ve checked CNN.com each day and found a fresh catastrophe before I even understood the last one. Japan had a massive tsunami. While Hawaii went on high alert for unusual wave activity, officials in Japan concentrated on the nuclear reactor that lost power during the storm. As some lucky Japanese official added “check radiation levels of air and water” to his daily to-do list, people as far away as San Francisco started swallowing potassium iodide like tequila shots at a frat party. Oh, and lest Japan get full of itself with all those lead stories, the UN announced that because Muammar Gaddafi’s treatment of protesters violated international law, they were declaring Libya a no-fly zone and would be sending troops to enforce that restriction.
I know what you’re supposed to do when life hands you lemons, but I can’t find any use for a beverage that is salty, sandy and radioactive.
What is the appropriate reaction to such a series of unremitting disasters? I can’t honestly say. Prayer seems like a good start. (Even if it does max out at “Why, God, why?”) Crawling into bed and becoming one with the duvet also figures high on my list. Following closely behind it comes pacifying oneself with comfort food. Then watching movies that I’ve seen many times before, catching up on my crossword puzzles and otherwise ignoring all major forms of media. Long after that, at say Step #312, falls reflection on the course of human events.
Why do disasters always arrive in groups, like some kind of evil carpool? I’m sure the Japanese would have thought the excitement of a tsunami more than sufficient all by itself. As a nation, they don’t seem to enjoy tempting fate. Situated as they are in a particularly active section of the seismically restless Ring of Fire, the entire country has equipped itself as best it can for earthquakes and tsunamis. Even so, the total of casualties from the recent tragedy numbers over 10,000. I suppose one could credit Japan’s foresight for the fact that the number is much smaller than it was for the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, where the world lost over 200,000 people from fourteen different countries. But somehow, I imagine that’s of no comfort at all to the many people in mourning or the folks running around in hazmat suits trying to figure out whether the nuclear reactor is safe enough to destroy. (I’m told by an engineer at work that there’s no way it can ever be used again, no matter what happens.)
The only good thing about the tsunami is that we can blame God (Mother Nature, plate tectonics, pick the force you like) for that one. Japan did what they could. (Southern California would probably be in much worse shape during similar events. Note to self, re-stock bottled water.) I was gratified to see that in a recent poll, only a minority of Americans believe that natural disasters are divine punishment. Most of us think they’re just one of those things we don’t understand. We cry, write the check to the Red Cross, and try to move on.
The nuclear reactor problems present more of a grey area. As anyone who has known me longer than a week can probably attest, I’m no fan of nuclear power. However, some technological advances do need to be made before we can live on renewable energy sources alone, and all other forms of energy come with hazards. Exhibit A, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last year. Far fewer human casualties (again, no solace to those who lost someone) but a huge ecological problem that isn’t anywhere close to being handled. How do we avoid problems like this in the future? My vote is for heavy investing in sustainable energy. Let’s not risk our lives and our world any longer than we have to. Meanwhile, turn off a light or two around the house. (Earth Hour is March 26 from 8:30-9:30 – turn off all non-essential lights and appliances. Find a friend and go look at the stars.)
All of this energy talk leads me into the disaster behind Door #3, the fighting in Libya. To me, this area goes beyond grey into positively murky. Libya is involved in a civil war. Don’t get me wrong, I think Gaddafi spends most of his waking hours in a parallel dimension, and should probably not be running a bake sale, much less a country. But I can’t quite wrap my brain around why the UN has chosen this particular moment to intervene. The official reason seems to be that Gaddafi’s treatment of protesters is inhumane. Gaddafi’s treatment of most things is and has been completely insane for some time. Why do we suddenly care now? Where was all this international good will for Rwanda, Somalia, or the Sudan? It takes us years to show up when there is verifiable genocide, but for some reason we stepped in after a matter of weeks to assist rebels that were already armed. It’s really hard not to think that being an oil-producing country moved Libya to the front of the International Intervention line.
This week, for the first time in memory, I actually agreed with a Republican. Shock prevents me from remembering which one of our senators it was, but one of them mentioned that President Obama really should have run this idea through Congress before sending in U.S. military personnel. A little hypocritical, yes, because none of them seemed to mind when President Bush sent troops wherever he wanted, but the point is still valid. It was stinky when Mr. Bush pulled this stunt, and it’s not any cuter when Mr. Obama does it. Our founding fathers did not want the decision to send in the military in the hands of one individual unless there was imminent danger to our borders. A day’s delay to call an emergency session of Congress might have been justifiable here.
Having gotten all that off my chest, I shall return to my original point (yes, there was one). How do we react? How do we, as citizens of an increasingly shrinking world, deal with a mess of this magnitude? The best answer probably goes back to my initial response – we pray. Donating money to the Red Cross or any other charity you like (United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is my personal favorite) certainly helps, but I honestly believe prayer is the most powerful tool we have. Thoughts become actions. If we concentrate our thoughts on healing and peace, for just a few minutes every day, we can’t help but increase the amount of both in our world. And just about now, our world can use all the health and reconciliation it can get.
Turn off the lights on Saturday from 8:30-9:30. If you’re reading this after Saturday, turn off the lights for an hour some other night. Spend the time meditating, breathing, thanking whatever higher power you wish for all the blessings that you have, and asking for help for all who need it so desperately. And when you’re done, find someone you love, hug them and tell them how much they mean to you.
Healing and peace, like everything else in the world, begin at home.
Kimberly is going to stop writing now and go hug Zoe. Zoe may not like it, but Kimberly will feel better.
Amen Kim. Thoughts and prayers go out to all folks in crisis all over the world.