A Month After
11 Apr 2011 3 Comments
in Japan, Life Tags: earthquake, Japan
Today is exactly a month after the 3/11 earthquake. In school, we had a minute of silence at the time of the earthquake. This evening, around 5:16pm, there was a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Fukushima. We didn’t feel anything on the west coast, and for the moment, there is no trouble on the east coast either. What a way to commemorate an anniversary ^^;;;; But life goes on here, and as the cherry trees open and new students come to school, we all hope and pray for safety and help for people in Tohoku. If you’re interesting in keeping up with the news in Japan, a kind soul has been translating the news over at What’s Up Japan? It’s one of the best sources I have, so go take a look!
Cherry blossoms resting on the moss.
I really like the quote she posted recently. There is no such thing as a perfect culture, and Japan certainly has its own problems, but I think that this idea of changing yourself vs. changing the world is an idea the West should get used to (this is the difference between complaining you weren’t rescued fast enough and just getting on with your life and helping yourself and others):
“The progressive positivism [active pursuit for ideal, I’d say] of Western civilization has certainly produced some notable results, but, in the end, it is no more than a civilization of the inherently dissatisfied, a culture for unhappy peoples. The traditional civilization of Japan does not look for satisfaction by some change in the condition of others but in that of the self. The main difference between the west and Japan is that the latter civilization has developed on the basic assumption that one’s external environment cannot be significantly changed.
…
Nobody, however mighty, can do as he likes with the world. None can stop the sun from setting, none reverse the flow of rivers. But any man is able to do as he likes with his own mind. [meaning, happiness lies within]
An excerpt from “I AM A CAT” by Soseki Natsume (1867-1916), translated by Aiko Ito & Graeme Wilson, Three volumes in one, Tuttle Publishing
~MS the Younger
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