Love for Japan

How does an individual process massive loss, such as that which is happening in Japan right now?  I am so removed from that area, but I am continually brushed by the presence of the Japanese people.  I am a huge fan of the Naruto manga and animated series.  My friend's brother has been doing an internship there for years.  She spent many months farming there a few years back.  I have studied the marital arts and Kosho Shorei a little bit, whose heritage is partially Japanese.  I tattooed a young man who lost his cousin in the tsunami this past week.  Japan is far away, but constantly in my presence.  It is part of the world, and part of me.  I am terribly sad about the pain and hardship being experienced there.  It is larger than I can process for the most part.

My hope is that each individual will hold hope in their hearts for the Japanese people, give what they can, and act with compassion.  This kind of disaster can happen anywhere, and has, and will.  The world is small now, we cannot pretend that what happens in one place does not effect everywhere and everyone else.  All beings are impacted by disasters, and it is in the way we respond to them that we can transcend our grief and fear and pain, and transform it into something better for all of the world.  Crisis can be an opportunity for massive change for the better, even as we acknowledge devastating loss.

It is time to come together, to work for the best of all of humankind, not just what is best for me, right now, right here.  It is a good time to remember the way of the Haudenosaunee people, who always considered the impact of their actions on the seventh generation away from them.  If we would all do that, we would understand that we need to take better care of each other, better care of our planet, act with love in our hearts rather than money on our mind.  The world would become a much safer, happier and loving place nearly instantly, I think.  Let's do that.