The Japanese Spirit

While the Japanese earthquake and Tsunami disaster plays out in real time on TV, I take heart in the fact that the Japanese people have been preparing for this for a long time.

They are a people who have recovered from various earthquakes and tsunamis (though nothing as large as this scale). Their popular culture is filled with monsters and natural disasters destroying cities in movies.

Mentally, I think this one nation that has prepared their people well for such a disaster. If they can rebuilt after World War 2, I am sure they will pull through this within 3 years.

Their earthquake rescue teams are send around the world in any disasters. I'm sure all the experiences they gathered will come in handy now.

The only good that came out of this that oil prices fell by a few dollars, though I suspect this is only a momentary effect.

Japan, my sympathies goes to you but you will pull through this. I know you will.

Disasters in Myanmar and China

Recently there has been two major disasters. Cyclone Nargis that ravaged Myanmar and the devastating earthquake in China. Current estimates for the death toll in China stands at least 10,000 victims.

I think China has a good track record in responding to natural disasters, since the dynastic times, the emperors knew that they had to response to disasters fast. Slow response could mean a revolt on their hand.

The Myanmar junta however are still slow to respond to aid offers from other countries.

When you sit back and look at the situation, taking into account the food crisis that the world is suffering from and the huge population of the earth, I start to wonder what does it all mean?

I think the world is over populated. We don't manage our population growth very well as we are growing faster than the supply of our food. The environment is in a terrible state, resulting in droughts.

The Burmese that survived the tragedy now have to worry about their food supply. The rice crops are gone. The farmers who tended the fields are gone. Who would feed the rest of the nation?

The Chinese have huge flooding and earthquakes almost every year. Yet, their economy trives. It goes to show how large their population is. The Chinese are even now going overseas to look for land to grow food to send back home. This is nothing new, they have been doing the same for minerals for their growing economy.

Could this be the sign of a new colonial Chinese government? The Chinese government are already in all the hotspots of the world exploring for oil (so is Petronas).

The world is changing.