The ubiquitous topic on every news station and on the minds of much of the world is the effect of Japan’s recent 9.0-magnitude earthquake and the ensuing tsunami on their nuclear power plants. There has been news of power outages causing meltdowns and explosions, which have in turn caused radiation leaks. Residents near the reactors have been advised to stay indoors or evacuate the area, and it seems unclear exactly how far-reaching the threat of poisonous radiation is.

Witnessing all this through the protective screen of my television, I cannot begin to imagine how confusing and frightening this must be for those experiencing it firsthand.

I grew up during the Cold War. The threat of a Russian-made ICBM delivering a nuclear warhead cruising towards the United States at any moment would send chills down my spine. I remember sitting in the halls of my elementary school, hunched in a ball with my head between my knees, and teachers telling us not to worry, and that this was probably just another false alarm. Probably? How did they know for sure? The reality was – none of us really knew.

We heard about the possibility of a nuclear attack almost every night on the news. Some people built bomb shelters. Some stocked up on food and water supplies. Everyone believed that it was only a matter of time before some rogue soldier sitting in a silo thousands of miles away was going to push the button and start WWIII.  It was just a matter of time.

We lived with that threat daily. What could you do? Pray and wait. Hope it never happened. I suspect that this is the same feeling the people who live around the nuclear reactors felt in Japan. Afraid of the possibility of a leak, aware of the risk, but unable to do anything but hope the threat would not become reality.

Now that reality is all too real.

Though Japan’s government and citizens are reportedly handling the situation impeccably, that doesn’t mean they aren’t facing fear and genuine concern for their country’s well-being. My thoughts and prayers go out to them – especially all of those that have been directly impacted by this crisis. I admire the brave workers who are exposing themselves to dangerous amounts of radiation in hopes of saving others; they are true heroes. I appreciate the officials and residents who are generously rationing resources and selflessly working together toward recovery.

In moments of tragedy, we have to look for the positive.  I hope, not just Japan, but the whole world comes out of this ordeal with more preparation and a stronger sense of unity. Because we all know what it is to be afraid, or to worry, and regardless of what burdens we bear or catastrophes we encounter, there is comfort in knowing that we are not alone. 

May God bless each of you and keep you safe.

Richard

This entry was posted on Monday, March 21st, 2011 at 10:00 am and is filed under A Word from the PBS Team. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.