The reaction to the earthquake in Japan and the horrific tsunami it spawned has been swift and, as should be expected, covered widely by the media. It was quite easy last evening to find reports on television about the story, even on small local stations. Turning to the PC, I got more of the same. It's a story that is necessary and compelling to report, and it makes us all worry a bit when we think of the power of nature. Sometimes, I think we take that for granted.
This morning as I made my usual quick trip to the supermarket, I was in the dairy aisle getting milk and juice. This is when I overheard two guys who had brought in handtrucks filled with new cartons of milk to replenish the supply. They were talking about the tsunami. "You see that wave in Japan washing everything away, man?"
The other guy stopped puitting milk on the shelf, tipped back his cap, and sighed, "Yeah, I'm gonna build me an ark."
They started laughing and went back to their work, but I started thinking about it. We take for granted how the milk will always be on the shelf, as well as everything else we need. We turn on the taps and the water comes out clean to drink. I go home, turn on my computer, and I can connect to the world. It's all so easy, so simple, and yet so frighteningly fragile, as this disaster in Japan clearly demonstrates.
I took down the old trusty Bible from my shelf and turned to Genesis. Noah must have been a great guy because he got a warning. He went out to build an ark because, according to the story, God was ready to smite the people and the earth but Noah had found "favor" with the Lord. Lucky guy, huh?
Article comments
1 - Ruvy
Hi Victor,
You may want to look up another book in your trusty Bible - the Book of Zechariah. According to this prophet, a huge earthquake will shake Jerusalem, one that would split the Mount of Olives into two, with a huge geyser creating a stream east to the Jordan, and a stream west to the Mediterranean. It talks of the flattening of the mountains of Jerusalem north to the "Gate of Binyamin", about 10 miles to the north. Now, Victor, imagine the nature of the earthquake and the nature of the movements of the earth that would flatten the mountains north of Jerusalem to be a plain.
If a 9.0 earthquake hit near Malta, a tsunami similar to that which struck the Pacific would hit the Mediterranean. Such a tsunami would destroy Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Tel Aviv and all the towns on the sunny coast of our country and the water would like flow inland about 10 miles.
And then consider, that Zechariah was just a "local weatherman", talking about my neck of the woods. What about Noo Yawk? You guys do have prophets of sorts, the Hopi Indians and Edgar Cayce.
The Hopi Indians have some pretty nasty prophecies for you guys....
Go look them up.
Shavú'a tov!