Brother,
How are you and your family? These last few
days, everything was in chaos. When I close my eyes, I see
dead bodies. When I open my eyes, I also see dead
bodies.
Each one of us must work 20 hours a day, yet I
wish there were 48 hours in the day, so that we could continue
helping and rescuing
folks.
We are without water and electricity, and food
rations are near zero. We barely managed to
move refugees before there are new orders to move them
elsewhere.
I am
currently in Fukushima , about 25 kilometers away from the
nuclear power plant. I have so much to tell you that if I
could write it all down, it would surely turn into a novel
about human relationships and behaviors during times of
crisis.
People here remain calm - their sense of
dignity and proper behavior are very good - so things aren't as
bad as they could be. But given another week, I can't
guarantee that things won't get to a point where we can no
longer provide proper protection and order. They are humans after all, and when hunger and thirst
override dignity, well, they will do whatever they have to
do.
The government is trying to provide
supplies by air, bringing in food and medicine, but it's
like dropping a little salt into the ocean.
Brother,
there was a really moving incident. It involves a
little
Japanese boy who taught an adult like me a lesson on
how to behave like a human being.
Last night,
I was sent to a little grammar school to help a
charity
organization distribute food to the refugees. It was
a long line that
snaked this way and that and I saw a little
boy around 9 years old. He was wearing a T-shirt and a pair
of shorts. It was getting very cold and the boy was at
the very end of the line. I was worried that by
the time his turn came there wouldn't be any food
left.
So I spoke to him. He said he was at school
when the earthquake happened. His father worked nearby and
was driving to the school. The boy was on the third floor
balcony when he saw the tsunami sweep his father's car
away.
I asked him about
his mother. He said his house is right by the beach and
that his mother and little sister probably didn't make it.
He turned his head and wiped his tears when I asked about
his
relatives.
The
boy was shivering so I took off my police jacket and put it on
him. That's when my bag of food ration fell out. I picked
it up and gave it to him.
I said, "When it comes to your turn, they
might run out of food. So here's my portion. I already
ate. Why don't you eat it?"
The
boy took my food and bowed. I thought he would eat it right
away, but he didn't. He took the bag of food, went up to
where the line ended and put it where all the food was
waiting to be distributed.
I was shocked. I asked him why he didn't eat
it and instead added it to the food pile. He answered: "Because
I see a lot more people hungrier than I am. If I put it
there, then they will distribute the food equally."
When I heard that I turned away so that people
wouldn't see me cry.
A
society that can produce a 9-year-old who understands the
concept of sacrifice for the greater good must be a
great society, a great people.
Well,
a few lines to send you and your family my warm wishes. The
hours of my shift have begun again.
Ha Minh Thanh
10 things to learn
from Japan.
1. THE
CALM
Not a single visual
of chest-beating or wild
grief. Sorrow itself
has been elevated.
2. THE
DIGNITY
Disciplined
queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude
gesture.
3. THE
ABILITY
The incredible
architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but didn’t
fall.
4. THE
GRACE
People bought only what
they needed for the present, so everybody could get
something.
5. THE
ORDER
No looting in shops. No
honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just
understanding.
6. THE
SACRIFICE
Fifty workers stayed
back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How will they ever be
repaid?
7. THE
TENDERNESS
Restaurants cut
prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared for the
weak.
8. THE
TRAINING
The old and the
children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they did just
that.
9. THE
MEDIA
They showed
magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No silly reporters. Only
calm reportage.
10. THE
CONSCIENCE
When the
power went off in a store, people put things back on the shelves
and left quietly!
.
