Tsunami damage and nuclear holocaust aside, it has been a fairly uneventful week. That has to sound strange, callous, and backwards, but look. Western Japan was not hit as hard as the north: in fact this area is unaffected to such an extent that my only experience of the situation is coming from the news. And even the news has started to trickle out, and now normal programming is resuming on TV, with only intermittent interruptions for announcements and broadcasts from the emperor (THAT was not normal). Regardless of the fact that Fukushima is still not under control. Regardless of the fact that people are waiting in the snow for water and blankets.
I am unable to help them, of course. I understand that on an intellectual level. Even if volunteers were being accepted, which they are not (since they would also have to be fed and blanketed, as well as directed), my profession does not lend itself to emergency situations. Maybe just like Ryo Ishikawa said, doing your daily job the best you can may be the only thing to do right now. But it doesn’t sit well. Of course I’ve also donated, which you can too. I donated directly to the Japanese Red Cross. But then, I live here, so all I had to do was drop it in a box. For those overseas, online methods are also available. If you are donating, I recommend caution in selecting only well-established organizations like the International Red Cross and Salvation Army. I’m sure you’ve been flooded with links to these sites by now, so I don’t need to post them here, but please, consider donating.
