8.9 in Japan

Last Friday, the world watched with horror as an 8.9 earthquake rocked Japan and a tsunami produced a 23 feet wave that destroyed a large part of the north-east section of the island. I can't stop thinking about it. On the one hand it's rather incredible, especially the photo of the sea churning and looking rather beautiful. The photo of the wave showed nature at it's mightiest and literally stopped my breath as I thought of all those people. It is hard to fathom the last thoughts of the people caught in the wave or those who were unaware until the water slammed into them. My heart bleeds for them and I say a prayer for those thousands of persons who have died and the millions that must continue life without them. I pray particularly for the three Jamaicans who cannot be found and hope that it's simply a matter of communication.

Japan's 8.9 is the third major quake since the start of the year - and I suspect there were more that I can't remember. World disasters happen so rapidly now that I've begun a retreat from the media. I'm not as rabid as I was for some breaking news but check in when I wish. Sometimes it's every day, sometimes not. Locally, I try to read the newspaper daily - or rather glance through it and read what I want, usually something light mixed in with at least one important piece or commentary, depending on my mood. It's all too shocking and with the recession and the difficulties we're facing in Jamaica and in my job, my brain cannot absorb it all and I find it hard to think and focus.

My daughter says what happened in Japan is like the movie 2012 and she's partially correct. With the climbing number of disasters, I have to wonder if the world is truly not coming to an end, or if the planet is not at a point of repositioning itself for a new beginning, much like scientists thought happened when the dinosaurs became extinct. Everything is topsy turvey, from the weather to human behaviour. It all seems out of whack and I keep thinking, where has it all come from? But I think I know. In the last 15 years, technology has opened up a can of worms none of us thought possible. Two years ago we would not have gotten photos of the Japan earthquake within minutes of it happening and as it happened. Two years ago we would have heard the news hours later and would have to wait a day or two for photographs. Now, the news is instant and with that comes a level of anxiety that no one could predict. Maybe these things always happened and we were all wrapped up in our own little world that we didn't notice. Only the history books can tell. What I do know is that we're in a cauldron and someone's lit the fire.