We Are All Japanese
Sometimes a disaster reminds us of the deep connection we feel with all other human beings. In our too-stressed lives, we can forget this connection exists. We become isolated from others. And we also become self-absorbed. Daily life feels like it’s all about “me.” But within us somewhere, we know that isn’t true. The shocking tragedy in Japan is proof once again that humans care about humans. In Japan’s moment of crisis, we watch and we care. We feel a kinship with these devastated lives. We are all Japanese. People we will never meet suddenly matter to us — not for what they can give to us, but simply because we know they are part of us. Like ourselves, the Japanese are human and their lives are important. The images we’ve witnessed the past few days have moved us deeply. Whole villages being swept away by seawater. Office workers dodging chunks of concrete tumbling from the sky. Children looking dazed amid homes turned into mounds of refuse. Most of us can’t go to Japan to help. We can donate to any of the reliable relief organizations that are working to assist the Japanese. But if there’s anything positive we can take from this earthquake, perhaps we can find a renewed sense of our own humanity … and try to hold on to that feeling long after Japan has returned to normal. That country will come back. Let’s give their loss and their recovery more meaning by using this time to strengthen our sense of the common humanity that binds us. If we do so, we will honor the Japanese, living and dead, and we will make this world more fully human in the process.
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