The power of nature spares no one - not even a powerful country like Japan

The recent earthquakes that have taken place in Japan, New Zealand and Chile all have one thing in common – they were caused by the movement of the Pacific Plate. This is the largest plate of the nine giant tectonic plates that cover the Earth’s surface. It covers almost the entire floor of the Pacific Ocean.

Japan sits right on top of the deadliest section of Ring of Fire, the world’s greatest earthquake belt. The belt extends from Chile, northward along the South American coast through Central America, Mexico, the West Coast of the USA, and the southern part of Alaska, through the Aleutian Islands to Japan, the Philippine Islands, New Guinea, the island groups of the Southwest Pacific, and finally to New Zealand. Surmise to say, whenever the plates collide an impact is felt by these countries.

Last Friday’s earthquake in Sendai, Japan was scaled at a 9.0 megathrust earthquake. It was so powerful it moved Japan (the country), 8 feet to the East, towards the United States.

Reports say that there have been more than 900 deaths, more than 10,000 people missing and aside from the devastating damages it has caused households and industries — Japan is faced with a possible nuclear meltdown. Although the Japanese government is very careful in declaring a meltdown, it looks like the effects of radioactivity have already been felt by people in the areas nearby. By the way, a meltdown is a serious accident as it releases potential radioactive materials into the environment that could bring devastating health issues including fatal cancer to people living within the radius of the nuclear plant.

FACT 1: The Ring of Fire has 452 volcanoes, 75 percent of which are the world’s active ones. About 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes and 80 percent of the world’s largest earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire.

FACT 2:Ten percent of the world’s active volcanoes are found in Japan, formed by the collision of both the Pacific Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate. Some studies indicate that the western boundary of the Philippine Plate is sinking.

FACT 3: There are about 14,000 earthquakes in New Zealand each year, most of them minor. In 1931, the Hawke’s Bay earthquake in the country’s North Island killed at least 256 people. Japan has an average of 1,500 earthquakes per year. In 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake killed more than 143,000 people in Tokyo. The Philippines which lies between two of the world’s most active tectonic plates experiences an average of 5 minor quakes almost everyday. In 1976, the earthquake in the Cotabato Trench caused a tsunami in the Moro Gulf killing 8,000 people. The 9.0 megathrust earthquake that hit Sumatra, Indonesia on December 2004 created multiple tsunamis in coastal regions in the Indian Ocean including Thailand and Somalia killing 140,000 people, injuring 510,000 people and displacing 3-5 million people.

With all these catastrophic events coming into our lives, we should shift to a new form of consciousness – a higher form, lest we continue to be driven selfishness.

We have had many “environmental awareness” campaigns (including the “no to mining”, “no to illegal logging”, save the forest, save our biodiversity, save the earth, save the planet) but all these, have been ignored especially by ruthless solons and government officials who simply do not care.

Its about time we make drastic choices and measures that will not necessarily bring us comfort but will make a difference for the future ahead. Our old world mentality of colonization, feudal system, discrimination, greed (excessive desire for wealth), materialism has reached dangerous peaks. These barbaric behavior/ traits have broken our cosmos. If we continue to exploit nature and continue to ignore the signs that mother earth has given us, then, we shall bring about greater catastrophes.

The era we are living in right now is dominated with materialism. We have destroyed and stolen too much of our planet’s treasures including the plants, the animals, the minerals. We must stop and be conscious that we are all interdependent on everything – therefore, we must take care of all of life.

We need to shift to a better paradigm and to an improved mindset. We need to create new solutions, new sciences, new technologies, new educational models, new energy solutions – that will not harm our environment. Something that will harmonize human need with the protection of mother earth.

Times of crisis come as an awakening of the spirit. It is a unifying experience for humanity to become better and advance ourselves toward a better path of evolution.

We must all agree in wanting to protect our earth. Our leaders, lawmakers, local government officials must lead the people and make a good stand. Let us hope that the different sectors of society will pick up from this phenomenal event and begin to contribute in advocating changes in their own right.

This is about global human consciousness – to save the earth, to save humanity.

I don’t think the cataclysmic events are signs that the end of world is coming, rather I believe they are all signals for us to awaken our consciousness of taking good care of the Earth. We must transform our human culture to be in harmony with each other and with nature.

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By the way, did you notice the number of cars, trucks and cargo trailers washed away by the tsunami waves in Sendai, Japan? I am worried that many of our imbeciles (including questionable Customs officials) may take advantage and allow these damaged, second-hand vehicles to be dumped in this country. The Philippine government (law enforcing agencies) as you may have noticed in the past 15 years or so has always allowed other countries to dump their old goods a.k.a. garbage into this country. Unfortunately, Congress still needs to strengthen bills on smuggling because the smugglers seem to always get away with the law.

House Representative “Sonny” Angara has already proposed amendments (a few months ago) to the Tariff and Customs Code (House Bill 572) that will prohibit the issuance by lower courts of temporary restraining orders stopping the seizure of smuggled goods. He said, “The current provisions allowing judicial intervention have oftentimes rendered ineffective the serious efforts to go after smugglers, the goods fraudulently imported, and the instruments of smuggling”.

Japan, being a small country will surely need a place to throw all their junk and debris. Since the law is not yet in effect, I will not be surprised to see these items here in a few months time. Oh! God, please help us!