A good blog

People everywhere are very sympathetic to the millions of people in Japan who have been personally affected by the tremendous earth quake and tsunami  that caused so much widespread death and destruction in this country. Numerous videos continue to show the world the unbelievable power of the shaking earth and the high surge of the tsunami wave that swept villages away and piled houses, buildings, cars, trucks, boats, and debris in the streets and fields and harbors of many Japanese cities and towns. Reports continue to be made regarding aftershocks and the ongoing dangers of nuclear contamination from the three nuclear power plants that were damaged by the tsunami wave that slammed into them. Crews are seeking to find missing relatives or at least the bodies of the thousands of people who are believed to have been killed by this disaster. And just getting basic supplies of food and water and shelter to thousands of people who have lost everything is a huge task.

It is understood that the Japanese people will recover from this disaster, but it will probably take years. In the meantime many of their basic services, including that of their currency, have been seriously hampered. Money and basic resources and relief workers are being brought into the cities, but the extent of the disaster is unbelievable. The whole earth has been affected!

Apparently Japanese engineers and experts in dealing with earthquakes had done an excellent job of designing the buildings for their cities and even the nuclear reactors to withstand severe earthquakes, but this one along with the tsunami wave  overpowered many of their safe guards.

So there is a lot of talk taking place now among the “experts” and the national and international leaders of highly developed countries, like Japan, that face the potential of similar natural disasters. The questions that they are all discussing have to do with how they can provide for the safety of their citizens, as well as how they can help,  in the face of such powerful natural forces.

I would hope that this disaster has also caused many people in Japan and around the world to reconsider what they really see as being “stable” and of lasting value in their lives. So many of us in the well developed countries of the world are surrounded by attractive homes and offices. In our daily lives we are made very comfortable by many things. We can get around in nice comfortable cars and easily communicate with our friends and relatives with various hand-held devices, so it is natural to begin to take such resources for granted as a part of one’s rights to daily life.

But such daily comforts and resources are not guaranteed as “stable” always present commodities for one’s daily life. In this blog I’m trying to get people to talk with me and others about “What is good?” in their lives.  See these posts for related issues of concern: balancing budgets or lessons from the oil spill or this statement on my website at economic security . What good can come from this disaster in Japan? What is there in your life that is really stable and dependable? What has ultimate value in your life? What is there in your life that can’t be piled up in a mound of broken “stuff” or swept away by a huge wave or destroyed in a flood or a fire? Let’s talk about this.