"Japan can take care of itself."

This was a statement made to me recently.  I continue to be baffled by it.  On the one hand, for those who have no emotional attachment to Japan, the events of March 11th seem distant and foreign.  I get that.  On the other hand, actually stating "Japan can take care of itself so I'm not sending any money" feels cold, uncaring, and harsh.

The news about the damage Hurricane Irene brought to the US is a good example.  This news will disappear in a week.  Mark my words.  There will be some new story needing to be covered.  Maybe someone will find Gadhafi.  Maybe someone will find secret love letters between John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy.  My point is, life moves on.  The news moves on.  The devastation brought by Irene to those in the US, and those who are still struggling from events almost six months ago in Japan--for them, life has changed dramatically.

Let's say you live in Virginia.  Imagine every city, village, and town on your Atlantic coastline experiencing some kind of damage.  If you live in Washington, you would be going something similar.  And North Carolina.  And South Carolina.  If you live anywhere between Boston and Manhattan, your town would be in ruins.  That's what people who live on an almost 300 mile stretch of coastline are still experiencing in Japan.  You think cleaning up after Irene will be a pain?  Welcome to the club.

With Prime Minister Kan's resignation (covered for a day on CNN) still fresh on my mind, I have to wonder what's in store for Japan.  Will a new prime minister really make a difference?  How much longer can Japan hold on?  Where do those whose lives have been turned upside down continue to find strength?  Or, do they?

I can't keep people from assuming Japan can take care of itself.  I can, however, try to remind people that a triple disaster that affects millions will most definitely take years to fix.  If you think Japan's economic woes won't affect you down the road, shame.  Talk to me again when you can't replace your Japanese car in six months or a year because your local dealer is still out of stock.  Japan is everyone's problem.  Be a part of helping or not but the longer Japan takes to recover, the more of us will feel the pain.  My two cents, of course.