Because now, we are all Japanese

The Great Wave off Kanagawa, by Katsushita Hokusai, c. 1830

It was just under 10 years ago on the 11th of September, 2001, when the devastation of the twin towers shook the very foundation of the human spirit and became the day we all became Americans, watching the buildings collapse in awe-struck horror, sympathizing with those that lost their loved ones, and expressing our rage against terror through every way we could express ourselves.

Last Friday, it was the 11th of March 2011, and a devastating earthquake (8.9 on Richter Scale) struck off the northeast coast of Japan and triggered a massive Tsunami right after, causing havoc in the country by sweeping far inland and devastating a number of towns and villages.  This highest magnitude quake in the history of Japan unleashed around 8,000 times more energy than the quake that rocked Christchurch last month causing massive devastation, destroying the complete city and hundreds of homes. The situation became worst with the destruction & cooling-system failure at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant followed by 4 blasts in the last 5 days, greatly enhancing the risk of a meltdown and radioactive material being released into the atmosphere a la Chernobyl.

 

We’ve all been through personal tragedies in life, but when the scale of a tragedy is as vast as this one, with over 10,000 lives lost and over 300,000 people displaced, the pain can be felt just as if it were our own. Indeed the far-reaching implications of the catastrophe touch each and every individual's life in one way or the other. But let not this pain and fear overcome the power of hope and survival of the human spirit. These are very testing times for our friends in Japan. We iXiGems express our deepest condolences to all who have lost their loved ones in this most devastating natural disasters in our recorded history and our wishes for strength, courage and good health to the injured and survivors. 

A lot of you are asking, how can we help?  If you want to know more about the status of the crisis, or make a donation, Google has setup a very useful page at http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html where you can make donations and also look for missing people. You can leave a thought or a prayer for the people of Japan on our Facebook Fan page wall . Some iXiGOers have shared their prayers with us for the people of Japan:

iXiGO Facebook Fan Page - Tribute to Japan

    1.    Reena Ghose: “At times prayers are not enough. Times like this tells us Nature is the greatest, we'll have no control on its wrath, its fury. We can only ask God to be kind and not to make life any more difficult for those who are already living a difficult time, reeling under the devastation. I pray to almighty to give them strength to withstand this period. And for the peace of the departed soul.”

    2.    Devanshu Morang: “It was not just a disaster. It was a war between human and earthquake... It tried to break the human heart and soul....but it was an unsuccessful attempt because it make 52 country standing together it make billions of people one...those who died i would consider them as a soldier who sacrificed their life to make different part of earth one...just want to say Japan you are not alone we are with you...i know you will rise up again to show every one you never learnt to back down...you never going to give up and you have proved this in history and you will prove it again...go Japan... Please pray for japan. Amen”

    3.    Namita Negi: “What impresses me the most is the fortitude and dignity of the Japanese people even in the face of such a calamity...orderly queues at shelters and checkpoints...calm and efficient rescue operations...stoic forbearance masking the grief etched on the faces.

In the battle between the fates and the human spirit, if the humans are ever likely to triumph then this is that arena.”

    4.    Meenal Jaiswal: “Praying for those who could not do anything in front of nature. Also, praying for those who are in the rubble somewhere still alive may the rescue teams find them and they reunite with their families.”

    5.    Pranav Mohan Srivastava: “It was the most tragic thing that one could ever face... In this hard time one can only pray for those people who are fighting for survival. :( :( Hope everything calms down as soon as possible. Not many years have passed for the Japanese people when the severe nuclear attack happened,, Next is What GOD!!!!!!!!!!! :( ;(“

    6.    Thanushri S Rao: “I pray the almighty to give strength to all who have lost their loved ones!”

    7.    Kavy Biindlish: “Out of Words... Wish had some Power to do sm Miracles using those Magic Wands.. God Bless All..”

Cherry Blossoms in Japan  - The signs of hope!

Let's express our solidarity with the Japanese people and wish that their misfortunes come to an end very soon.

Let's pray that Japan will get the strength to put this calamity behind and to bounce back (as it always has) to growth and glory.

Let’s hope that the nuclear meltdown doesn't lead to more devastation.

And most of all ...

Let's all be together in this, because now, we are all Japanese.

Team iXiGO