Where Has The Future Gone?
The Tokyo I knew when I lived there and thrived with the thrill of living in such a dynamic, exotic, historical and culturally intriguing city of huge spread and quaint custom is in dramatic suspension. Suddenly and horribly, the city that hosted millions of residents whose disposition to one another was quietly orderly and proudly confident has lost its self-confidence and is awash with insecurity.
The city where everything was available for the discriminating purchaser, where the food was always fresh and wonderfully appealing to meet the discriminating demands of a population that appreciated the importance of living well and healthfully now finds itself in need of the most basic consumables; potable water and food. The shelves of food shops are yawning empty, and people have frightening concerns about where they will find the necessities of life to sustain them.
Winston Churchill, during the Second World War and Britain's heroic battle with Nazi Germany, spoke to his people to give them confidence in themselves and their future. Japan's prime minister has been doing the very same thing, recalling them to their tradition of forbearance and determination, patience and endurance. The Japanese people have responded with trust in their government and in the future, for they are resilient and hopeful.
But hope and trust fade measurably when opportunities for survival seem to diminish, when aid becomes difficult to offer, when shelter from the winter elements, the cold, the unavailability of food and water, medical attention and rescue from dire circumstances become complicated by forces beyond the control of mere humanity. And the dread potential of a nuclear meltdown looming on the near horizon.
This is not the well-operated, confident city that I knew and lived so comfortably within. This is a dread place of fear and insecurity, where the future looks dim and shaded in dark bruised colours of desperation. And a wonder how all of this could possibly have occurred to a people that have already suffered more than its share of misery.
The city where everything was available for the discriminating purchaser, where the food was always fresh and wonderfully appealing to meet the discriminating demands of a population that appreciated the importance of living well and healthfully now finds itself in need of the most basic consumables; potable water and food. The shelves of food shops are yawning empty, and people have frightening concerns about where they will find the necessities of life to sustain them.
Winston Churchill, during the Second World War and Britain's heroic battle with Nazi Germany, spoke to his people to give them confidence in themselves and their future. Japan's prime minister has been doing the very same thing, recalling them to their tradition of forbearance and determination, patience and endurance. The Japanese people have responded with trust in their government and in the future, for they are resilient and hopeful.
But hope and trust fade measurably when opportunities for survival seem to diminish, when aid becomes difficult to offer, when shelter from the winter elements, the cold, the unavailability of food and water, medical attention and rescue from dire circumstances become complicated by forces beyond the control of mere humanity. And the dread potential of a nuclear meltdown looming on the near horizon.
This is not the well-operated, confident city that I knew and lived so comfortably within. This is a dread place of fear and insecurity, where the future looks dim and shaded in dark bruised colours of desperation. And a wonder how all of this could possibly have occurred to a people that have already suffered more than its share of misery.
Labels: Environment, Japan, Nature, World Crises
posted by Pieface | 7:09 PM
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