The Great Wave at Iwanuma, 2011
There are rifts between us today.
Me.
And you.
They have nothing to do with the rumbling of the earth, yet recent events bring topsy-turvy hearts and severed powerlines topside. Thoughts of elevation and moral higher ground. We are separated by space and timezone but connected by infinity, though we forget that sometimes.
We yell Southwestward across #alleyways and Mardi Gras. Stomp and throw beads and lust and dirty looks and chest/app bumps and “I DESERVE THIS because…”. Just cause?
We are separated because we do not see the ground shaking from our bedrooms. Our screens are still intact. We are separated because we don’t speak the same language, not because we weren’t taught, but because we never learned.
There is a rift between us that shouldn’t be. A war fought by our grandmothers. Not us! Family recipes, three parts venom and two parts yeast should not be put back into the oven. Does hate exist in genetic memory? Does love?
Sometimes we have to be shaken up to stir it up. We are naturally wired to move when our bodies tell us that something isn’t right. Where do we go when reminded we are small? Why do we perpetuate fault lines that aren’t true? History is everyone’s fault. Take a deeper look. Revolution waits in the cracks.
I was here.
Learn how you can help at these links
Google Crisis Response – 2011 Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami
http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html
The American Red Cross
Donate to the disaster relief at Redcross.org or make a $10 donation by texting REDCROSS to 90999. The money will go to those affected by the earthquake in Japan and tsunami throughout the Pacific.
This ain’t the first and this won’t be the last. What about you? Will you stir it up? Will you love?
Beautiful post Abe! Beautiful.
My love to you and your family,
Em
Thanks Em!
Last we heard my sister-in-law finally got in touch with her family and are all alive and accounted for. Aside from the roof, their house was spared from the destruction all around. Amazingly, the water stopped just 1/2 mile away.
I hope all is well with family & friends over there. I just made a donation to the American Red Cross. This is something that kind of hits home for me because I know some people in Japan. Plus everyone in Seattle here keeps talking that a major earthquake like that will happen here sometime in the next 50 years. Scary stuff.
Thanks for the well-wishes Angela, I will pass them on. It’s still a fragile situation for the country as a whole, and I’m still thinking of ways I can help from this side of the world, other than donations and supporting my family. Also, I read somewhere that there is a 99% chance that a big quake will hit the US west coast in the next 30 years. I work right on the water so my butt is toast. If that’s not reason to leave the day job I don’t know what is!
oh gosh, this whole Japan thing was very scary for me too.. yup, I know some people from Japan too.. and just LOVE Japan cause it’s such an amazing country with such awesome history (and Japanese dramas
) etc
and yeah, felt odd too, around that time.. (and at some other times when iffy things then got reported, sigh) apparently some of these things can be ‘felt’ across the planet? (maybe)
glad to hear your family is safe, yup..
I think us humans will need to reconsider what we have been doing with the planet…
I’ve been having conversations with some older people that keep saying, “You’re still young, you have time” but do we really? Every moment we have is precious, and like the thousands of people lost in Japan, it can all be over in an instant. I think that’s the positive thing we can take from these world events. Be grateful for the time you have, the resources, and especially the relationships with others and do something. Make an impact. Thank you for the family well-wishes and thanks again for the comments Layla!
Hey Abe, thought of you & this post when I read this article/letter today: http://www.odemagazine.com/blogs/readers_blog/24950/a_japanese_perspective
And as an aside, you say you’re not a writer, but I really think you’re too hard on yourself; this post would definitely say you’re a far better writer than you give yourself credit for.
You are too kind, Jen. Hopefully I can catch some writing talent through association. I’ll keep at it
And thanks for the link. Reminds me to call my sister-in-law this week to see how her family is doing out there.
[...] Abe Cajudo shares his thoughts in “Impressions of Japan, Man.“ [...]