What Do You Have To Complain About Today?

Photo from Bing. Photographer unknown.

    The haunting scenes coming out of Japan have been disturbing, to say the least.  In fact, the immensity of the destruction of human life and the long-term effects of the physical obliteration on those who escaped the initial devastation is almost surreal.  I take in those scenes somewhat detached, as though I am watching a science fiction movie; something scary yet known to be impossible in real life.

    Then I read an article from the Los Angeles Times (March 13, 2011) by Eryn Brown in which some strange geophysical effects were reported.  The article explained that as a result of the 9.0 earthquake off the coast of Japan the earth’s axis shifted about 6.5 inches, speeding up the rotation of the earth, thus shortening the length of a day by about 1.8 microseconds!  Now, couple this with the 1.26 microseconds loss after the Chilean earthquake and we have a problem.  This adds new significance to the expression “time flies.”  I just finished changing all the clocks in the house for Daylight Saving Time, now I have to go back and correct them all.  And we are all getting older by the microsecond, as if I needed that.  Seriously, an earthquake can change the tilt of the earth and the speed of its rotation? This knowledge makes me feel just a little bit more fragile.

    As I read further I discovered that there was another significant change resulting from that 9.0 temblor.  Japan is now about a foot closer to California.  I actually suspected something like this when I noticed that the tsunami waters I was watching on live television weren’t receding completely.  The land covered by the waters seemed to be lower than it was prior to the quake.  But I wonder if the cost of an airline ticket will be cheaper in the future?

    The unanswerable question floating around in my pea-sized brain is, “How much disaster can one small island nation deal with?”  Searching for survivors after days of very cold weather in massive piles of chaotic rubble is difficult enough. But doing so while experiencing aftershocks that measure higher on the Richter Scale than most stand-alone earthquakes, and not knowing if additional tsunamis are going to suddenly appear as a result, must make the task nearly impossible.  In addition, some of the search sites had to be evacuated due to the explosions and beginning stages of radioactive rod meltdowns at four nuclear power plants.  Much of the country is without power, heat, fresh water and food.  And their stock market is plummeting. 

    So, now I’m wondering what I have to complain about today.

    An afterthought: While I live about 100 miles inland, my home is situated at an elevation under 400 feet.  I didn’t used to think I was in any danger even if “the big one” sent huge portions of California into the Pacific.  I am beginning to rethink that assumption.  Obviously, humans are not in control of nature.  We are always relegated to the roles of victims and reactors.  My trust is in the Lord.

    For those who are interested, I just finished Week 4, Day 1 of the 6-week pushups program.  I was supposed to do a minimum of 25 today, but could only manage to squeeze out 22.  A minor setback considering I began this program with a maximum of 9 pushups. 

Do you live in the greater Sacramento area and need to be certified in First Aid and/or CPR?  Visit www.ReedCPR.com to see what classes are being offered and how you can enroll in one