March 2011 A Call to Action Seva Challenge Yoga in Action Training News Community Action Support

A CALL TO ACTION

Community members,

We are greatly saddened by the recent events in Japan. Tokyo-based, OTM Regional Leader, Matthew Serynek has provided us with his perspective from   the ground to fill us in on the current situation.

FROM TOKYO:

A few things strike you as a Westerner living through one of the largest ever recorded earthquakes. Top among these is the reaction of the Japanese. While the tsunami hit areas of Northeastern Japan are truly devastated, the ability of the Japanese to maintain the fabric of civic responsibility is remarkable. In the midst of losing loved ones, their livelihoods and homes, people are still sensitive about “imposing on family and friends” while trying to rebuild.

In Tokyo, where power outages, radiation leakages, aftershocks (some over 6+), have become a daily occurrence, there was never a sense of panic. People were asked to cut down on power consumption, and they did without fuss. When food and supplies in some places ran thin because of supply chain disruptions, people still queued in an calm and orderly way in the supermarkets and never lost their social decorum for one another. To my western sense of individualism, the fact that people could maintain so much civility in the midst of anxiety and tragedy is impressive, something that I will always remember alongside the queasy feeling of practicing yoga 22 floors of the ground while the entire building swayed like a branch on a tree - breathe and trust, sometimes it's all you can really do. The Japanese are truly thankful for the assistance given and if anyone can rebuild from this, it is Japan.

If you'd like to support relief efforts, here are two organizations to consider:

Japanese Red Cross Society
Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund

Our prayers of love and healing go out to everyone that has been affected by these devastating disasters.

With Gratitude,

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