Devastation in Japan....Yet There are No Looters

I was surprised Rush didn't mention this today. Just an interesting insight into Japanese culture:

No looting going on in Japan

Watching the news in Japan was just awful with the triple dose of disasters-- a record-shattering earthquake, a tsunami, and a nuclear plant meltdown.

But there was one tiny shred of amazing news that the rest of the world could stand to learn from -- despite the totality of devastation and the scarcity of supplies, etc., there have been no reports of looting. Where supplies have become available from relief organizations, there have been orderly, polite, calm lines with no reports of fights, pushing, or cutting in. Supermarkets have lowered prices drastically and vending machine owners have opened the doors of their machines and handed out drinks at no charge to those relief workers, emergency personnel and volunteers there to help in the wake of the multiple disasters.

Compare that with nearly any other disaster in any other city in the world and humanity has all but broken down, but not in Japan.

This writer asked why there was no looting -- perhaps it was a rhetorical question. My father worked for a Japanese bank for many years and I spent several summers working there as well as a college student. Banking didn't take for me as a professional career choice, perhaps much to my father's dismay, but I learned a great deal in the process.

The employees who had come over from Japan displayed humility, quiet dignity and a determination to honor their families by doing a good job. That one word, honor, seems to dictate the behavior of the Japanese culture. They value the young, the old, their educational achievement, career goals and family. Not that there aren't a few bad apples in the bunch, but crime statistics tell a pretty accurate tale. In Japan, it would be a stain not only on the reputation of an individual who decided to loot, but a shame that the whole family would have to bear.

Compare that to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, or the earthquake in Chile or nearly any post-disaster behavior around the world. The incidents of crime went through the roof, looting was rampant, whatever shreds of society that had been barely hanging together completely collapsed at the first sign of trouble. It isn't a racial thing....it is a cultural thing that is deeply rooted in thousands of years of Japanese tradition and luckily has largely withstood outside influences. It is serving them well in this time of crisis.

Prayers for all the families, friends and colleagues who are currently trying to survive the aftermath in Japan




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