This photograph in it's gripping simplicity has become a real point of perspective for me.
Honestly, there are so many things in life that I can be disgruntled about. Annoyances with a host of things from workplace frustrations, family dysfunctions, household repairs, civil rights issues, and political debris. Some of them not such a big deal, & others more urgent & genuinely irritating.
Then there is this photo. It puts me in my place, and takes me out of the moment.
This tsunami survivor is living in this school gym with a cardboard box, with hundreds of other people, wearing a mask to protect her from potential nuclear fallout from the damaged power plant.
Suddenly my issues are miniscule in comparison. My issues seem small & inconsequential. I can "shuddup" about my woes, because in the bigger scheme of things, there are others who have a whole lot more suffering & coping with their lives turned entirely upside down by natural disasters. So whatever my issues are, I need to put them in perspective.
Maybe I should give some thought to how I can help those people in places like Japan & Joplin, MO & other tornado stricken communities, because all of the sudden, my problems, which at times feel overwhelming, pale in comparison.
5 comments:
Gripping Photo..Thank you for posting
People ask me how Jim and I survived as a couple for 18 1/2 years? What is the secret to a long relationship?
I always answer the same:
"Don't sweat the small stuff. Most of what bothers people is small stuff."
I have seen couples (both gay and straight) fight over such bullshit that I am left to understand why 54% of marriages end by the 5th year.
When you see all the suffering in the world, you realize how lucky you are and how brief this life is.
heart-wrenching photo.
p.s. i don't think the mask is to protect her from nuclear fallout. a mask like that wouldn't be very effective for that. instead, a lot of people in japan wear masks like that on a daily basis to ward off bird flu. that was the case even before the disaster.
DW ~ Makes on take pause eh?
Christopher ~ Not sweating the small stuff is good advice, I'll add appreciating what your mate does as well. We are in such a fast paced world, it's easy to just assume the other party will just do so much it is taken for granted.
Nonnie ~ Heart wrenching yes.
I am also struck by that photo. Beyond the tragedy is the stark diff of how much privacy the japanese are able to accord each other even in such trying circumstances. Here, we toss everyone onto cots in a noisy gym, kids running loose, bathrooms crowded and dirty. Japan is at least able to provide these survivors some personal dignity.
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