thoughts on the news of the day: reactors

hmmm…..

            The nuclear power plant that was damaged in the earthquake in Japan last week continues to be a life threatening problem.  Japanese engineers are now considering burying the damaged plant in sand and concrete in order to prevent a disastrous radiation release.  This was the method used to contain leakages from the Chernobyl nuclear plant in 1986.

            It’s always tempting to bury our problems in the sand.  We want them to go away – quickly.  And in the case of the nuclear power plant broken by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, it may ultimately be the only solution.  Allowing dangerous radiation to leak out into the atmosphere is just not a very appealing alternate solution.

            But what about the problems that we have in our everyday lives?  What about financial problems, difficulties with relationships, a bullying boss or classmate?  Are these effectively buried?  Or do they pop back up, again and again, no matter how hard we try to cover them up?

            Probably a better way to deal with our problems is to … well … deal with them.  Facing them squarely and looking for alternative solutions is a much more effective and satisfying way of coping with issues that annoy or even cripple us. 

            Japanese engineers seem to be looking for alternate solutions to the radioactive leakage.  They are trying to fix a power cable to two of the reactors which would enable them to restart water pumps that are used to cool the nuclear fuel rods.  They are also spraying water on one of the most critical of the nuclear plants six reactors.

            Perhaps even for them, the solution will be found without burying the problem in sand.

            hmmm…..