Our Tiny Little Brains....

Hello all...

During last year's TEDxKyoto event  (when I wasn't running around like the proverbial headless chicken), I got the chance to meet and visit with most of the marvelous speakers and presenters who graced the TEDxKyoto stage.

Two of the presenters were Jeffrey Jousan and Ivan Kovac who teamed up to create two incredible short documentary films about the aftermath of March 2011's earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe.

Their first video, available  on Youtube, was "Then and Now".

Their newest video is "Women of Fukushima", which explores the problematic and heartbreaking experiences of the people of Fukushima from the point of view of six very determined and inspiring women.

Today Bob and I went to Ritsumeikan University where Jeffrey and Ivan were showing both of their documentaries and speaking as part of a panel discussion.

During the panel discussion, they were asked a variety of questions such as   "How can we make things right again?" and "What do people in your home countries think about Fukushima?"

Ivan picked up the microphone, pausing thoughtfully before raising it to his face.

And he spoke about how no one seems to remember  Fukushima.

The flurry of donations and TV news spots that flitted around the world  in the first year after 3/11 have faded away, month by month,  replaced by the latest short attention span spot of  political turmoil or celebrity brouhaha.

Because people forget.

Easily.

Quickly.

It could be argued that no one can remember everything.  That  the problems of the world are too numerous to consider simultaneously.

Once the vast piles of tsunami bashed vehicles were bulldozed into piles, and  once the earthquake ruined buildings were razed into flat, empty lots, perhaps the world thought that the healing had begun.

But as anyone who has lived through a disaster knows, the clean up isn't the hardest part.

The rebuilding is the hardest part.

The rebuilding is always the hardest part.

Why?

Because rebuilding takes time and patience and no small amount of money and support.
Rebuilding is slow and methodical and filled with two-steps-forward-one-step-back progress.

Rebuilding is messy and often unpleasant.

And people usually want to avoid the parts of life that are messy and unpleasant.

And they forget.

Sigh.

Until next time....