Tsunami levels coastal Japan towns
It is really unbelievable. It is hard to put into perspective and difficult to comprehend. There have been two reactions to the tragedy in Japan. One that is more of compassion and concern, and one more of an honest curiosity. There is more to the curiosity than people realize. While some can easily connect to such things from an emotional perspective, others simply need more to both connect to such tragedy emotionally and bring things into perspective. I am of the latter; it is not some dark and morbid curiosity. For many, detailed information is needed to connect all of the dots.
It would seem that the host Earth is increasingly inflicting its merciless will upon its parasitic inhabitants. Professional sources like the NOAA claim that such incidents are below the “norm” in terms of averages and that the immediate availability of information gives the appearance that the Earth is becoming increasingly unstable. Logic in statistics and watching the impact of 8+ magnitude earthquakes, tsunami, volcanoes, and radiation leaks have nothing in common. We can understand that these occurrences are not as frequent as they could be, but seeing more of the less frequent events is very humbling. Couple it together and you quickly realize that things not only could be far worse, but could directly befall you in very surreal ways. Your “curiosity” then peaks.
Rachel asked how I could watch the videos of Japan's nightmare come true with such attentiveness. It’s the process of survival that gets me. How do you get past the event in order to enter into survival mode? The videos are very telling and to extract the information, you must first fully digest the horror they contain. We all know the computer models will follow with their sterile, non-emotional, detailed descriptions of what happened, but they will be devoid of certain realities.
One video was shot at the level of the tsunami as the first wave pushed through a seaside town. A motorist entered an intersection and turned left speeding down the road slightly ahead of the water as a videographer shot from the lower level of a staired, paved hill. The wave brought with it dumpsters, then consumed cars and swept them away as if they were toys. Trucks followed, small houses then fell victim as boats from the sea flowed through. Entire wooded buildings then took to the street; all heading in the direction in which the motorist sped off. He opted to drive, abandoning a clear chance of survival on the hillside. My thought was that the person was rushing home to ensure the safety of family – the ultimate survival wildcard. I hope he made it.
The fact of the matter is that time will bring such events to everyone’s doorstep. Look at it this way, and please forgive me while I geek out on you: The radius of Earth at the equator is about 3963 miles. The surface area of a sphere obtained by area = 4 pi r2, so the surface of the earth is: 4 x 3.14159 x 3963 miles x 3963 miles = 197,359,320.78684 square miles. You would have to add a bit for peaks and valleys to get more accurate numbers, but we are talking about 198 million square miles. Japan is about 149,000 square miles, or just over .07525% of Earth’s surface area this is the entire nation which is far beyond that of the affected area). This is minuscule, yet the events in Japan have shifted Earth’s axis. What this tells me is that an event such as this covering 3% of the Earth will directly impact all life on Earth; the balance of life is just that fragile. We all know that each continent has progressed to their current positions on the globe. This progression has been violent and often life changing to the degree that it has led to human life. We also know that the continents are not at their given permanent resting places; the progression continues and witnessing events like that which have befallen Japan gives the individual a glimpse of what this progression looks like and how it impacts man. Many cannot stomach such a scary reality. Unfortunately, it is a reality that all humanity will eventually face.
The idea in delving into the horror is to gain multiple perspectives that all unite into realistic sets of circumstances and how best to deal with them when we come face to face with an ever evolving planet playing temporary host to a parasitic human existence. We are led to believe that the better we treat the planet, the better the planet will treat us in return. That if we go green, recycle our Rice Crispie boxes, drive electric cars while taxing the usage of Earth’s resources, we will be spared from an inevitable fate. It is not a dark and morbid obsession driven by a perverse fascination with destruction and the massive loss of life.
Unfolding before us is the inconsequential nature of self. Put into perspective is how helpless we are as a race of people when compared to the often-violent nature of Mother Earth. In such humility lies an understanding of who is actually in charge of whom. Our host has very patiently tolerated our existence, but coming could well be the day that the next evolution of major life begins. Just as it has happened before us, it will expand beyond us. Seeing that for what it is tends to defy a human nature that believes we are the end all be all of life on Earth. My thought is that we a mere passerby of a far greater evolutionary process - events such as this seem only to serve to emphasize the plausibility of this obtained perspective of direct observations.
It would seem that the host Earth is increasingly inflicting its merciless will upon its parasitic inhabitants. Professional sources like the NOAA claim that such incidents are below the “norm” in terms of averages and that the immediate availability of information gives the appearance that the Earth is becoming increasingly unstable. Logic in statistics and watching the impact of 8+ magnitude earthquakes, tsunami, volcanoes, and radiation leaks have nothing in common. We can understand that these occurrences are not as frequent as they could be, but seeing more of the less frequent events is very humbling. Couple it together and you quickly realize that things not only could be far worse, but could directly befall you in very surreal ways. Your “curiosity” then peaks.
Rachel asked how I could watch the videos of Japan's nightmare come true with such attentiveness. It’s the process of survival that gets me. How do you get past the event in order to enter into survival mode? The videos are very telling and to extract the information, you must first fully digest the horror they contain. We all know the computer models will follow with their sterile, non-emotional, detailed descriptions of what happened, but they will be devoid of certain realities.
One video was shot at the level of the tsunami as the first wave pushed through a seaside town. A motorist entered an intersection and turned left speeding down the road slightly ahead of the water as a videographer shot from the lower level of a staired, paved hill. The wave brought with it dumpsters, then consumed cars and swept them away as if they were toys. Trucks followed, small houses then fell victim as boats from the sea flowed through. Entire wooded buildings then took to the street; all heading in the direction in which the motorist sped off. He opted to drive, abandoning a clear chance of survival on the hillside. My thought was that the person was rushing home to ensure the safety of family – the ultimate survival wildcard. I hope he made it.
The fact of the matter is that time will bring such events to everyone’s doorstep. Look at it this way, and please forgive me while I geek out on you: The radius of Earth at the equator is about 3963 miles. The surface area of a sphere obtained by area = 4 pi r2, so the surface of the earth is: 4 x 3.14159 x 3963 miles x 3963 miles = 197,359,320.78684 square miles. You would have to add a bit for peaks and valleys to get more accurate numbers, but we are talking about 198 million square miles. Japan is about 149,000 square miles, or just over .07525% of Earth’s surface area this is the entire nation which is far beyond that of the affected area). This is minuscule, yet the events in Japan have shifted Earth’s axis. What this tells me is that an event such as this covering 3% of the Earth will directly impact all life on Earth; the balance of life is just that fragile. We all know that each continent has progressed to their current positions on the globe. This progression has been violent and often life changing to the degree that it has led to human life. We also know that the continents are not at their given permanent resting places; the progression continues and witnessing events like that which have befallen Japan gives the individual a glimpse of what this progression looks like and how it impacts man. Many cannot stomach such a scary reality. Unfortunately, it is a reality that all humanity will eventually face.
The idea in delving into the horror is to gain multiple perspectives that all unite into realistic sets of circumstances and how best to deal with them when we come face to face with an ever evolving planet playing temporary host to a parasitic human existence. We are led to believe that the better we treat the planet, the better the planet will treat us in return. That if we go green, recycle our Rice Crispie boxes, drive electric cars while taxing the usage of Earth’s resources, we will be spared from an inevitable fate. It is not a dark and morbid obsession driven by a perverse fascination with destruction and the massive loss of life.
Unfolding before us is the inconsequential nature of self. Put into perspective is how helpless we are as a race of people when compared to the often-violent nature of Mother Earth. In such humility lies an understanding of who is actually in charge of whom. Our host has very patiently tolerated our existence, but coming could well be the day that the next evolution of major life begins. Just as it has happened before us, it will expand beyond us. Seeing that for what it is tends to defy a human nature that believes we are the end all be all of life on Earth. My thought is that we a mere passerby of a far greater evolutionary process - events such as this seem only to serve to emphasize the plausibility of this obtained perspective of direct observations.
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