Japan Quake/Tsunami

[hashiriya1]

Well, this is just sad. A farmer in Fukushima killed himself because his crop of cabbage couldn't be sold due to radiation contamination. I told my fiancee after the disaster happened that it will lead to a lot of suicides. She agreed. It happened after the Kobe quake, it even happened after the huge Amagasaki train crash back in 2005. This is the first reported one related to the Tohoku Kanto Earthquake. There is a lot of misery going around in Japan, I wish they could just be strong enough to live.

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20110 ... 19-jij-pol

[Breetai]

That's really sad, Hashiriya. We could both see it coming, I'm sure. There will be more.

[Breetai]

family

yeah, get out. i agree with you wholeheartedly on the issue, and i think it's good of you to think of your family's safety.

Thank you. That is what I call support.
That and a job can be found, TVs can be bought, games can too, but family is a one-time only thing.

D3, what is your current situation? Are you still planning on leaving Japan, if you have not already? Are you going to take longer to make a decision? Does the job market have anything to do with your thinking? Just wondering.

[aaron]

D3, what is your current situation? Are you still planning on leaving Japan, if you have not already? Are you going to take longer to make a decision? Does the job market have anything to do with your thinking? Just wondering.

i'm curious about this also, but only because i actually care about you's guys on this forum. kinda weird, i guess, since we've never met.

i'd also like to point out that i do think that the media (especially the american media) has done a horrible job with the presentation of the nuclear situation in japan, and i'm certain that a lot of misinformation has been implanted intentionally and unintentionally in the minds of people around the world, but i'm of the firm belief that if you're not really there living through the situation, you really don't have the kind of grasp of the severity of it that you may think you do. reading websites, news blogs, watching cnn, etc are a far cry from walking out your front door and seeing destruction all around you.

i'm also of the firm belief that if a man feels like he has to do something to take care of his family, then he has to do something to take care of his family. call me old fashioned, i don't care, i think that uprooting your family if it's going to make them more safe and secure (or at least feel that way) is definitely the way to go given the drastic nature of this situation at least.

so, yeah. hope all is working out well for you, D.D.D. you've been in my thoughts lately (just like the rest of japan has been as well).

[Ivo]

i'd also like to point out that i do think that the media (especially the american media) has done a horrible job with the presentation of the nuclear situation in japan, and i'm certain that a lot of misinformation has been implanted intentionally and unintentionally in the minds of people around the world, but i'm of the firm belief that if you're not really there living through the situation, you really don't have the kind of grasp of the severity of it that you may think you do. reading websites, news blogs, watching cnn, etc are a far cry from walking out your front door and seeing destruction all around you.

The destruction all around was due to the quake and the tsunami and not the nuclear situation (with some noteworthy exceptions).

Also, there is a lot to be said about making a better, more rational decision when removed from all that stress - so I do not agree that the people in the heat have the best grasp of the severity.
I would think the people in the "frying pan" are going to overestimate the "heat". They are certainly the ones "feeling the heat", but that does not mean they are the ones best able to actually rigorously "measure" it to know what the reality is. Does that make sense?

i'm also of the firm belief that if a man feels like he has to do something to take care of his family, then he has to do something to take care of his family. call me old fashioned, i don't care, i think that uprooting your family if it's going to make them more safe and secure (or at least feel that way) is definitely the way to go given the drastic nature of this situation at least.

I agree with this: If uprooting is the only way to make them feel safe and secure that is the most appropriate answer.

However, IF (assumption) that sense of insecurity is based on irrational fears, it still sucks if that is the only way - within this ASSUMPTION I would say it would be much better if the uprooting could be avoided by reducing the artificial sense of insecurity.
I hope you guys are able to understand what I'm getting at, here. I think I am about as concerned with the others as you also are.

Ivo.

[daito_kid]

Both outlets of Media are doing a really bad job in my opinion. American outlets like CNN are making it seem like all of Japan is now this wasteland (not the case), and DEFINITELY overplaying the radiation and it's effects on people in say Tokyo, but they're selling a story. I think my problem is the Japanese media isn't really giving enough information and they're trying to keep everyone from panicking (a good idea IMO).

I was in Tokyo when everything went down, and the town is darker now because of the power restrictions and black outs, and we can't use escalators here. Also, there were a bunch of commercials put on by the government at first, all of them were feel good commercials to fill space since there wasn't a single company that wanted to advertise on TV (rightfully so).

Hopefully your friends in Sendai are alright, there were a few, who I gave my room to when I went West for a two weeks after the Earthquake, who were friends of a friend, but for me it doesn't seem like enough since they have literally nothing .

[aaron]

i'd also like to point out that i do think that the media (especially the american media) has done a horrible job with the presentation of the nuclear situation in japan, and i'm certain that a lot of misinformation has been implanted intentionally and unintentionally in the minds of people around the world, but i'm of the firm belief that if you're not really there living through the situation, you really don't have the kind of grasp of the severity of it that you may think you do. reading websites, news blogs, watching cnn, etc are a far cry from walking out your front door and seeing destruction all around you.

The destruction all around was due to the quake and the tsunami and not the nuclear situation (with some noteworthy exceptions).

Also, there is a lot to be said about making a better, more rational decision when removed from all that stress - so I do not agree that the people in the heat have the best grasp of the severity.
I would think the people in the "frying pan" are going to overestimate the "heat". They are certainly the ones "feeling the heat", but that does not mean they are the ones best able to actually rigorously "measure" it to know what the reality is. Does that make sense?

i'm also of the firm belief that if a man feels like he has to do something to take care of his family, then he has to do something to take care of his family. call me old fashioned, i don't care, i think that uprooting your family if it's going to make them more safe and secure (or at least feel that way) is definitely the way to go given the drastic nature of this situation at least.

I agree with this: If uprooting is the only way to make them feel safe and secure that is the most appropriate answer.

However, IF (assumption) that sense of insecurity is based on irrational fears, it still sucks if that is the only way - within this ASSUMPTION I would say it would be much better if the uprooting could be avoided by reducing the artificial sense of insecurity.
I hope you guys are able to understand what I'm getting at, here. I think I am about as concerned with the others as you also are.

Ivo.

i get what you're saying, but i think it's best to just let our personal views stay out of this one and support where support is needed.

[Breetai]

i get what you're saying, but i think it's best to just let our personal views stay out of this one and support where support is needed.

I definitely second this. Personal views are the business of close friends and family to share.

[Ivo]

i get what you're saying, but i think it's best to just let our personal views stay out of this one and support where support is needed.

See, I think what I did was the best support that I could provide.

I'm a bit sad if people continue to think what I did was just an attempt to advance my own agenda or whatever, but I remain confident in my choice of action. I do not care that much about what other people think anyway (for good or bad).

Sometimes you are making a decision and the best thing for people to tell you is "You should think this through better" instead of "I support you unconditionally".

I can not know which one is best here, but I tried to say "You should think this through better" because I think that is what the best thing to say given what I perceived the situation to be. And I built into the posts the cautionary remarks about my perception of the situation the best I could.

Ivo.

[Inazuma]

@Ivo

I've read your recent posts here and I agree with you completely. Also, I think you did a great job explaining that you only have good intentions behind your advice. It is a shame that anyone could have gotten angry or upset at you for trying to genuinely help someone, but sadly it happens quite often. I hope you won't be discouraged from doing this in the future. Caring about others and wanting to help them is a great quality to have.