Japan's Fortitude in Facing Tsunami Tragedy: America's Learning Guide to Crisis

Not long after World War II, we managed to see Japan assimilate the entrepreneurial business strengths America used to have in its better decades. Japan followed that with eventual assimilation of our pop culture and eating habits in more ways than one that might still cause dismay in a number of Americans aware of how the Japanese lived prior. But even with all that, ancient traditions in Japan still run through the DNA strands of the old and the young there.

Whether you want to call it genetic imprinting or not, what came before in Japan still manifests in certain situations. Some of those ancient traditions were brought to their most actionable after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Sendai on March 11.

The most noticeable aspect to the horrific events still unfolding as of this article is the fortitude of the Japanese people in facing a crisis Americans have yet to experience or comprehend outside NYC's 9/11 2001 tragedy. To an outsider reporter visiting from a cable news channel or an American trapped in the tsunami rubble, it might appear to the naked eye that a serene lack of chaos in Japan's streets is due to a massive state of shock.

While that's part of it, we're learning now that the self control and lack of looting is more a self fulfillment that was formulated centuries ago by ancient Japanese warriors.

If the Samurais of Japan's past are long dead and gone, their spirits have turned the Japanese people into a new type of warrior. It was the Samurais of ancient centuries that created a concept of Bushido, or what's known as the "way of the warrior." Through this philosophy, it was considered worthy to have courage and loyalty to their fellow people and country in face of any plight.

Even after the Samurai culture died out in Japan, the populace continued the concept of Bushido. By the 21^st century, however, the older generation in Japan have accused the younger generations of bypassing Bushido as the result of assimilating new technology that supposedly weans one away from the philosophy.

Yet while we see harrowing shots of the younger Japanese populace crying and stunned at what's happened, the lack of crime and organized efforts in rescues shows that Bushido is imprinted in all of them. Its dormancy makes it all the more powerful when it apparently manifests into overdrive during a first-time experience of overwhelming grief.

Along with Bushido, we've also heard about another philosophy that's been used in Karate since its formation. Bushido has also been incorporated into Karate, but it's Gaman that's been named as a more pointed philosophy in the act of self restraint, patience and fortitude. Calls have gone out for the Japanese people to practice Gaman during this disaster, despite that getting some criticisms when it seemingly asks for a British-like stiff, upper lip.

In other circles, it would merely mean fortitude through a flood of tears.

It's these philosophies that are probably unfamiliar to most Americans, yet a primer to build on if we ever want to face similar calamities with the same frame of mind.

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America certainly knows her share of tragedies--and usually with appropriate reactions to all of them. This country also managed to create a breed of Americans who seem to keep a snide comedic edge going during the most horrific events as a way to deal with it all. Most of that has been cultivated on Twitter in the last few years. And if that's a complete circle from the annals of Bushido and Gaman, it's unlikely this oddball irony approach would hold up when a colossal cataclysm from Mother Nature ever strikes the mainland.

Despite enduring some horrific hurricanes and California earthquakes, America's most recent generations have no concept of a 9.0 earthquake and a potential tsunami that could consume the entire west coast. I've written here before about the lack of complete preparedness just in my state of Oregon for such a calamity, let alone Washington State and California. You might find some thinking people out there who surmise because it hasn't happened here yet, it gives the impression we're somehow being spared from on high.

We've seen possible natural disasters averted at the 11^th hour here before that you could easily designate a miracle. Such a thing could still happen through the act of buying us time.

Conversely, when you hear that the U.S. west coast could be less than ten years away from such a disaster, you realize that the Pacific Ring of Fire is acting under its own accord and will break apart randomly. It's once that randomness strikes here when America will be at a precipice of dealing with a different tidal wave of new emotions. Not only would it change the landscape of our economy but also change the physical shape of the continent. Those two things alone would render any of the astute and garrulous commentators of the media world around us here to a near speechlessness along with the peripheral social panic, crime and looting.

Or, it could potentially be something quite different.

If there's any successful way for America to process fear, it's been through watching movies. Via the aid of various and recent disaster movies (e.g. "2012") that show the worst possible scenarios, CGI's suspension of disbelief has been enhanced to create our own unique, virtual reality experience in coping mentally with such an event. This method of conquering fear and staying focused might have stuck in some if we had the ability to see inward. It's likely only temporary for the majority thanks to having the rescue of knowing the hope of normalcy is outside the theater doors.

In contrast, Japan's ancient philosophies also keep a sense of unity that promises if they uphold a sense of honor through turmoil, they can survive it all. Fatalism is never an option in Japan.

Whether pop culture can build up such a frame of mind for Americans once severe reality hits will remain to be seen.

The long dead warriors of Japan's past, however, still have their essence while managing to evolve into caricatures in more sophisticated cultures. Japan has ultimately formed what's inside their DNA and made their sense of what a 21^st century warrior and honorable individual should look like in a troubled world.

Likewise, many Americans may want to study Bushido and Gaman and extract what they may from them along with their own developed sense of religion. It's a way to create our own much-needed sense of being a warrior that may be able to cut through the most incomprehensible fear and come out the other side a better person than before.

Resources:

http://www.myshotokan.com/blog/gaman/