Have you ever met people with seem to run their mouth without first letting their brains “proof read” the contents of their speech? Well I’m not sure if anyone of you has had such an encounter but I recently did and I want to share it with you because I hope it will clarify a few issues.
The topic of discussion was Japan and its recent, on-going tragedy. And here is the statement: “Japan? Well I suppose they got what they deserved subscribing to nuclear energy. Do I care? Not really, don’t see how an incident that occurred on a different continent on the other side of the world is going to affect me.”
My first thought – that was a very insensitive statement to make. The second thought – that is a very ignorant statement because here are the facts.
1. Japan isn’t the only country that uses nuclear energy. There are around 30 countries located worldwide across the globe that uses this form of energy to sustain their country’s power and electricity needs.
2. As alarming as the nuclear disaster is in Japan, bear in mind that Japan is not the world’s largest generator/consumer of nuclear energy. That honour is shared between France in Europe and the USA.
3. No country deserved such a tragedy – nuclear energy or solar power, none of that justifies the loss of so many lives.
4. Japan’s tragedy is the world’s tragedy. It may be an island located in Eastern Asia, in the North Pacific Ocean, but its issues are not isolated. The contamination is in the waters and although experts say you can’t consume enough seafood to be at risk of radiation damage, you really can’t tell how accurate that is. Plus…what about the sea life?
5. It affects you even if you are located half way round the world from it because Japan is a powerhouse in the world’s economy. Here are just some of the effects it has on you:
a. Japan as a major player within the world market which determines the price of crude oil has caused oil prices to fall of late.
b. Stock market prices are falling.
c. Companies worldwide, companies, investors and consumers, are feeling the threat of disruptions in the flow of products and parts used to manufacture everything from Apples to Sonys.
Still don’t think you should care about what happens in Japan? Think again.
