Certainly A Lesson To Be Learned...

I have been so deeply touched by the recent press regarding the way the Japanese people are conducting themselves amidst all of the unimaginable chaos that surrounds them:

CNN News:

In the wake of Japan's deadly earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant explosions, we have witnessed the almost indescribable chaos that follows a disaster of this magnitude: loss of life, severe injuries, homelessness, lack of water, food and proper medical care, the physical destruction of towns and cities, and a growing fear of radioactive contamination from power plants that seem beyond anyone's ability to control.

But one heart-wrenching byproduct of disasters like this one has been missing in Japan, and that’s looting and lawlessness.

Looting is something we see after almost every tragedy; for example: last year's earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, the floods in England in 2007, and of course Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. It happens when some people who've seen life as they know it get tossed out the window feel that all morality has been tossed out too. It's survival of the fittest and whatever you can get your hands on is yours, no matter who it belongs to.  But that's not happening in Japan.

Journalist and social commentator Ed West wrote in the UK Telegraph yesterday how struck he was by the Japanese culture throughout this ordeal. He observed how supermarkets cut their prices in the days following the quake and how vending machine owners were giving out free drinks as "people work together to survive." And West was most surprised by the fact that there was no looting.

Many have pointed to the popularity of Japan's distinctive Buddhist and Shinto religions as well as how the values of conformity and consensus are considered virtues in their culture. That's one explanation, but it probably has something to do with remaining true to your moral code even in the darkest hours.

I also recall the story about the gentleman who went into the market to buy water and at first grabbed all 10 of the bottles that remained.  Shortly thereafter, he put 8 of them back, realizing that if he took all that the store had, there would be none for others.

I imagine myself in the situation of these poor people.  I know that the temptation to yield to the natural instincts of "survival of the fittest" would be very enticing in such desperate circumstances.... especially if I was witnessing the suffering of my own children.  We have seen it all too clearly within our own country that this instinct has prevailed among tragedy at times.

So what truly is the difference?  Suggestions in the above article are cited, but I wish to expound on my answer a  little more fully. 

I do not pretend to have a great deal of knowledge relating to the Japanese culture.  I do not know a great deal about their religious views.  I also do not pretend to know current statistics about their families, current divorce rates, etc, but the little I know shows them to be people who find great value in a meaningful contribution to society and great value in upholding their family names with honor.  I have been reading a book recently entitled "Covenant Hearts... Marriage and The Joy of Human Love" by Bruce C. Hafen.  It is quite an insight into the degeneration of the family unit in our country over just the past 50 years.  All around us we see the modern world's crazed rush to dispose of traditional marriage values, which I strongly believe is putting us at risk of losing the central bearings of our society.  A key insight in Elder Hafen's message is symbolized in the image of a traditional wedding celebration.  Though the bride and groom are the central figures, much of the event's power comes from the community, whose gathering around the couple reaffirms the place of the marital union at the cornerstone of our society.  In effect, the community's initiating message to the new couple is, "We need your marriage to thrive-for our sake!" even as the couple petition in return, "We need you to support our thriving and to expect it from us- for our sake!" 

Unfortunately, I believe we as a general society have lost that point of view- that society DEPENDS on us to succeed in our marriages and to succeed in rearing children who have been taught to uphold strong moral convictions.  Elder Hafen:  "Now days it seems that marriage- once widely perceived as the core structure of society- is now "a private matter" that, being private, may now be beyond society's ability to repair."  It seems as though people do not understand how the failure of such a critical unit does not just affect the couple, but the children, neighborhood, city, and country.

So what does this all have to do with Japan?  I believe there is a lesson to be learned which deserves some introspection by all of us.  What causes a group of people to stand strong to their moral convictions in such devastating times?  I believe it has everything to do with their knowledge of their society's expectations... and their awareness of how their actions create a rippling effect, for better or worse.  I believe these teachings begin in the home.

President Gordon B. Hinckley once said:

"In my judgment the greatest challenge facing this nation is the problem of the family, brought on by misguided parents and resulting in misguided children.... The family is the primary unit of society.  I believe it was designed by the Almighty.  A nation will rise no higher than the strength of its families."

I wish to commend the Japanese people for the example they have set for me.  I know that their collective concern for the common good will reap many blessings from their Father in Heaven.  May we all strive to have this love for our fellow men and hold true to those things we know to be right, even in the face of extreme adversity. 

"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high..."