So our wedding prep has taken a backseat to global events, as we struggle to digest the massive devastation that has struck Japan - first a magnitude 9.0 earthquake in the sea off the Tohoku region, followed by a powerful tsunami that obliterated towns and ports, to be finished off by the present crisis of leaking nuclear reactors in Fukushima prefecture.
We've contacted our many friends in Japan, who have all assured us that they are well apart from inconveniences like electricity rationing, but the situation remains dire in the northeast. Food is in extreme short supply, and many survivors haven't eaten or had access to clean drinking water for over 48 hours or more. Medicine is severely lacking; those available has been inundated by floodwaters or contaminated by silt and mud. The weather remains biting cold as the seasons are only just turning from winter to spring. The death toll is rapidly rising, with a huge fraction of the population of Sendai, Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures missing and/or unaccounted for.
We are now focusing our energies on ways to raise funds for our fellow humans in Japan, and to think of other ways we can help those in need.
To the religious, let's keep Japan in our prayers. To the humanists, freethinkers and agnostics, let us keep Japan in our thoughts.
Regardless of their past history, the Japanese people have risen above the present disaster and proven themselves a truly united and compassionate civilisation. May the Japanese people's stoicism and determination in these difficult times be a model and reminder to all of us to be patient, charitable, caring and giving to our loved ones and all those around us, through not just the good times but especially the bad.
Japan Gambatte!!!
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