Japan

A moment to be serious. This photo of a woman and cat at a rescue centre in Japan really caught my attention. We may be innured to tragedy after all those natural disasters hitting much poorer countries but seeing large parts of Japan reduced to matchwood makes one wonder how on earth can people get over this when one's home and town have just vanished, not to mention family and neighbours .... and of course animals too.

But we learned a new word today: " gaman" - alongside the chaos and utter devastation wrought by nature have been scenes of heartbreaking orderliness and self-control as people try to remain calm and carry on. There seems to be no looting or panic. Western news crews search for images of fear and anguish as the survivors try to maintain their dignity. This stoicism can be summed up by the word "gaman" roughly meaning calm forebearance, perseverence and poise in the face of events beyond one's control. It is so commendable. Japan has emerged from devastation before so it will have to do it again.