thoughts on the news of the day: disasters

hmmm…..

            The earthquake/tsunami/nuclear plant disaster in Japan has seemed to have brought out the best and the worst in the people of Japan and the world.

            First, the worst: Comedians making jokes about the suffering and situation of the people of Japan strikes me as the very lowest form of inappropriateness.  Gilbert Goffrield, the voice of AFLAC insurance was fired because of comments he made about the disaster.  He joked, “They don’t go to the beach, the beach comes to them.”  He tweeted this comment, but nevertheless it still reached millions of people and offended the majority of them.  Other entertainers have also made attempts to be funny at the expense of the suffering Japanese but most of them have backfired also.   

            Now the best: The nuclear reactor workers who stay behind to clean up the mess.  They risk extreme sickness and even death to cool down the reactors hoping to avoid releasing the radioactivity into the atmosphere.  They are likened to the honor and nobility of firefighters who risk their lives to save others in disastrous peacetime situations.  Choosing to send their families out of danger, but staying behind to do a dangerous job is a shining example of bravery and courage.

            Rising above or sinking below is a choice we all make when faced with extreme circumstances.  Most of us have done both.  Let’s hope and pray that should we ever be caught in such a situation, we are given the courage to do the right thing.

            hmmm…..