At the seashore

I need the sea because it teaches me.
I don’t know if I learn music or awareness,
if it’s a single wave or its vast existence,
or only its harsh voice or its shining one,
a suggestion of fishes and ships
The fact is that until I fall asleep,
in some magnetic way I move in
the university of the waves.

-Pablo Neruda-

This I can say, we do need the sea.




As our fate unravels only to get tangled into tiresome knots, as all the petty facts of life clamber and claw over us, we need the sea to remind us of the truth. The waves do not knock down our fears or draw away our problems with the tide. We gain something greater, the reminder that we are but tiny phytoplankton with the life expectancy of just a few days.
That truth is incredibly liberating. With our perspective straightened, we are free to work on those knots and stand up under the weight of our nagging concerns.

My Lovely Nippon

So, I realize my last post was a little bleak and despairing. That nuclear contamination sign is not exactly eye candy. The truth is that the facts are bleak and despairing. There is rampant corruption, media censorship, and terrible consequences of Fukushima Daichi's meltdown arising daily. (And yes, it was a meltdown and terribly enough it will be worse before it gets better.)
I have a hard time living in negativity. I have been naive in my assessment of how the government and TEPCO would handle their responsibilities. This doesn't mean I am in any way forsaking Japan. No, not my lovely Japan.
There are a lot of terrible truths that the country must deal with but one truth that will pull us through is the Japan of Japan. The soul of the country will survive this awful catastrophe. Of that I am certain.
It may be that we have to leave Honshu or return to the States for a bit. This bothers me but I want to respond to my fears with something more positive. Something that showcases my unwavering affection for these islands. So I started a new photography blog on Tumblr called My Lovely Nippon. It is an ever-increasing collection of images old and new that I believe capture a bit of that je ne sais quoi that keeps Japan in my heart. As the new reality unfolds, Japan will seem tainted but the true beauty cannot be contaminated.



xoxo