drsujnanendra's DOCTORSDOC

We know very well that there are plenty of places on this planet, where even a pothole on a highway could not be repaired in six days, let alone a major crack, even if the countries in question have not been subjected to a segment of Nature’s wrath. In most cases, if not all, even if that is fixed, it is just going to be temporary and could resurface in weeks while breeding a chain of its own kind – progression of potholes, instead of just one. Then, excuses fly in from all directions to veil the monstrous combination of apathy, inefficiency, tentacles of corruption and lack of work ethics in those instances without delay, which in turn, makes the unpleasant spectacle a part of national character in the country or region concerned. Against this backdrop, the resilience of the Japanese surprised the world once again. It is monumental feat that could only be achieved by a nation who sets its sights firmly on the forward march, not the handicapped past. If Great Kanto Highway in Naka stood as a catastrophic indication of the gravity of the quake that struck Japanese Archipelago on March 11, the very place now stands as a shrine to embody the enviable Japanese collective spirit – having been repaired after just six days for the movement of traffic as usual. Japan is not the only place in the world with renowned engineers for performing impressive tasks. However, even in those countries, it is hard to imagine an achievement of this nature, given the scale of the damage on many fronts – both in terms of human lives and damage to infrastructure. In short, the Japanese are in a league of its own when facing with calamities – and overcoming them as well, of course. It is estimated the cost of the earthquake, tsunami and the subsequent nuclear disaster will be at least $365 billion. Therefore, finding funds for the task is a monumental challenge for the government and the people in Japan. They know it is the worst disaster since the Second World War. However, judging by the way the recovery went into full swing, and the way the Great Kanto Highway repaired clearly show that the Japanese have the will and vision to put the tragedy behind them and move forward, in order to occupy the place they deserve, in the global economic landscape once again. In this context, the optimism expressed by Mr Naoto Kan, the Japanese Prime Minister, just does not ring hollow. On the contrary, he just echoed the Japanese thinking in the aftermath of the disaster. The repair of the Great Kanto Highway is not the only one that shows us the length that the Japanese go to, for the sake of rebuilding the country. The brave workers at the crippled nuclear plants, known as Fukushima Fifty, also received admiration for their heroic work, while putting their own lives on the line for the good of the motherland. Comparisons have already been made and the mission is almost dubbed as ‘Kamikaze’. Human suffering, after the quake and the tsunami, is truly heart breaking. However, the recovery process is clearly resonating with our age-old cliché – every dark cloud has a silver lining. The Japanese have set the stage for all those countries which moan about the lack of ‘x’, ‘y’ and ‘z’ when it comes to doing things even in good times, to take a glance at how thing are being done in a society where the significance of work ethics is taught at a very early age to its people. Japan was hit hard and it will take years to make a full recovery. Until then, however, the Japanese can draw some comfort from the fact that millions of human beings all over the world have already started admiring and respecting them for the dignity they showed during the darkest hour and the way they coped with the catastrophe in a calm manner while keeping the antennas of selfishness at bay.

It is a moral gift offered by these unique people to many countries in the world, which easily lose their very bearings when faced with calamities - regardless of the index they enjoy on economic scales.

     Thanks Sanjoy for providing me the material.