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Over the past week, I’ve been glued to the news on Japan. After the Tsunami and major earthquake, I became overwhelmed and a bit shaken. Part of the reason is that I have friends in Japan and I worried for their safety. I also spent time in Japan in 2006 and felt a deep connection there so everything felt so real to me.

I’ll admit that I got caught up in the sensationalism. For example, if you’ve been listening to the news about Tokyo over the past week, you probably would have a picture in your mind of many people evacuating, of food shortages, and fear of radiation. However, what I’m finding out through others is that Tokyo is nearly back to normal. People have moved on with their lives. One resident became angered by the fear mongering and exaggeration with the press and created a Journalist Wall of Shame.

Here are some examples of what people are saying on Twitter:

@Silverlines – I just read a friends FB status (he’s in Tokyo), saying how annoyed he is w/media’s exaggerated news

@TimeOutTokyo – To the UK tabloids claiming that Tokyo is in a state of panic with thousands on the run, we’d just like to say how laughable that is.

It took me almost a week to realize that what I thought was going on (from what I was reading in the news) was not really what it was like for residents in Tokyo.

Is there anything positive coming from all of this? Any lessons?

What has happened in Japan has been very devastating and shocking to the world. But, can there be any positivity that comes from this? Any lessons? I read a very beautiful article which went viral over the past week on email, twitter and facebook. In a letter from Sendai, a woman by the name of Anne talks about her surreal experiences of being in Sendai after the devastation of the Tsunami and Earthquake. She gives beautiful accounts of being able to see a sky full of stars; of the community coming together to help each other; of food showing up at her door; and of neighbours posting signs that they have water so that others can come and fill up their bottles.

It’s unfortunate that it usually takes catastrophic events to bring people together in a united community. Otherwise, we are usually caught up with our own lives or that of our own immediate families. The ‘beauty’ though is that in these difficult times, people do reach out to one another. In their pain, they are united and can relate to each other because they have experienced similar things. When the Tsunami and major earthquake happened, it brought out the best in people. Even the Yakuza (mafia in Japan) helped out! In an article titled ‘The worst of times can bring out the best in everyone, even the yakuza,’ the author talks about how even the ‘bad guys’ donated a lot of needed supplies to the Tsunami/earthquake victims.

The other thing that is happening is the questioning of Nuclear power. Germany and China are two countries that are now questioning the use and safety of nuclear energy. Hopefully with everything that is happening in Fukushima, we will start to look to more natural forms of energy such as Wind, Solar and Geothermal energy.

I believe that experiences like this act as a ‘wake up call’ for our planet. If YOU were in one of the majorly devastated areas in Japan, you would no longer have a house, you would not have a car, or a job. Running water would be a luxury. Everything that you built would be erased in one day. Just take a moment and imagine that. Without your ‘career,’ who are you? In North America, there is a lot of push to pursue the ‘American Dream’ -  work hard, be successful, buy nice things etc. What if that were all just an illusion? What are we without all of those things? Who are we really?

I think sometimes we can really take things for granted. Especially in America, we just wake up and ‘assume’ that we can go to the store and buy food, we can have fresh water. But the truth is that nothing is certain. I know that with everything that is going on in the world right now, I’m realizing that I need to take more responsibility. Slowly, our food is becoming more expensive, more vegetables and fruits are becoming Genetically Modified (and it’s not labeled so we don’t know what we’re eating!). I believe that in the future, growing our own food gardens is going to become more popular and more important. It’s also important to always have some extra food and bottled water on hand if there are any natural disasters. It’s good to always be prepared.

Overall, I feel like I’ve had my own ‘wake up call’ with seeing everything that has happened in Japan. It has made me think more deeply into what I want to do to help people and to play a role in healing the planet.

Have you had any shifts? Please feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

- Strawberry Woman