This is from the Aussie site Crikey, published yesterday. Seems like there is a new wave of information coming out about the Fukushima disaster, which TEPCO just confirmed involved three meltdowns (in units 1, 2 and 3) and then there was Unit 4 which kept bursting into flames because the water leaked out of the spent fuel pond.
Today in news reports we have another carefully metered dose of the truth seeping out from the corrupt, incompetent and totally dishonest Tokyo Electric Power Company, that apart from conceding that a meltdown occurred in the Number 1 reactor there ‘appeared to have been partial meltdowns in reactors Number 2 and Number 3′, and that the pressure vessels in one or more of the reactors ‘appear’ to have been damaged . (Evaporation related radioactive waste releases from spent fuel ponds cleverly built above the core of the reactors was also conceded to have occurred in the Number 4 reactor.)
Here is the rest of the article by Ben Sandlands.
We also heard today that the US government is hording iodine, and that it’s not available to pharmacies.
..and the rest of that quote, “..and reflect from the mountain, so all souls can see it..”.
..A deep bow to you (whether you read this or not, the effect has already taken place).
Love Is the Answer. (..and you know that, for sure..)
Jere
Jere – Kind words and good advice- truly helpful. Thanks. Kat
Kat, don’t ever feel awkward. Okay. Think of life as one gigantic tapestry, that we’re all working on, and when your shift comes on, have a good time. When you’re away don’t worry that the work will go undone, be assured there are always others’ to pick up the threads. I have friends I can go years without speaking with, and when we meet up again it’s as if the conversation is one fluid track.
As Len’s quotation the other day of Dylan says, “..and I’ll tell and think it and speak it and breathe it..”
And then, continue right along living, enjoying yourself, Loving, and generally working the threads of your own life, which is beautifully a reflection of the cosmic tapestry we’re All working on, all the time.
..Sometimes I just feel inspired to comment.. sometimes I don’t..
Here’s to Life,
Jere
Burning River and Stellium in Sag – I totally understand, and share, the issues that come up with these wonderful, but time consuming conversations. I even felt guilty putting in my last entry to you two, not wanting either of you to feel obligated to respond – we all do have lives afterall – but also wanting to write out my thoughts, in respone to your response to my respnse, etc.
Sometimes, I put in an entry into one of these response blogs, but if I don’t come back for a day or two, feel conflicted. I want to be curteous to those who have done me the honor of “talking” with me.
One problem is that I have never been an active part of this kind of communication, and feel I am in a foreign country – attempting to learn the norms, the culture, etc., but with no guide book. Then, there is very fast pace of these conversations, new articles, etc., etc., etc. I will be in a great “conversation,” but then, discover it is three days old and can’t even remember the article it was attached to!
Anyway, I am blown away by these conversations no matter when one begins or ends. It has been an almost unimaginable gift to me to find a community that thinks about experience using the language of psychology, astrology, the I Ching, Feng Sui, totem animals, spiritual practices, politics, etc.. I am very grateful, and it is fun to begin getting to know you two and the other regulars, as well, Amanda, Judith, Fe, etc. Kat
Kat, thanks for the dialogue, again. “Coming Out” at work is huge. As a nurse, which is one thing that I am, coming out can be huge. It is usually a medication error. I was terrified when I was younger to admit any kind of mistake about anything. The freedom of not having to be “mistake-less” is amazing. When I realized that to be human is to practice at things, and mistakes are just part of that, and EVERYONE makes some. It is the courage of honesty and the virtue of self-love that have become gifts to myself that have been costly but so worth it. I want to talk about “dialogic” with you and Sadge sometime but this is a work weekend for me, and I have several other exhausting things on my plate besides (the planetary squares and trines are adding their amps to the energy I feel weighing on me right now also) so I am” taking myself to the mattress” to quote The Godfather.. Everything moves, all is well not matter what it looks like, this weekend and month will pass. The stars are under the clouds tonight Sadge, but I know they are there, so I’ll do a virtual watch. (((Kat and Sadge)))
Kat & Burning: I am liking this discussion and both of your astute observations.. I have more to say, but will have to come back later…I have to get outside.. I can’t believe its 4:30 AM!
Time flies when you’re having Fun, yes?
Carpe Diem!
(and hopefully some shooting stars! yah! need to make some wishes)
Burning River and Stellium in Sag: SIS – It occurs to me that what we are talking about is ego defense. To admit we are wrong – even if the obvioius benefit is there for our self and others, often feels like a kind of death. There is real fear in it. We have conditioned responses against admiting we are wrong – fear of punishement, for instance, or fear of being attacked, ridiculed, losing our job, abandoned, etc. It takes moral courage to admit when we are wrong, to be willing to face the consequences. There has to be a motive to do so – some committment to a bigger context, plus courage, faith, independence. I had a situation at work a few months ago, where I had made an overesight, and my first instinct was exactly as you, Stellum, described – wanting to hide it, hoping I could fix it without others knowing, wishing it would just go away. Because, I am in a leadership position, I did not do those things, and the result was that I got to experience the support of others whom I work with and others admitting that their thinking and actions had contributed the problem. We re-structured some of our practices to prevent further occurrances and moved on. I’m thinking that not everyone is so lucky nor do they have that level of trust. At some point, though, we are challenged to step up to the plate, no matter what.
BR, regarding the issue of asking others to consider the greater good, especially when it means some sort of personal sacrifice, is a great challenge alright. I often reference the Work of Byron Katie, because her inquiry work is what works for me, when I do it. As she often say, “If it is so easy, do it yourself,” which is a good point. When I am in balance, there are certain elements that are always at play: 1. I have found my way to accepting the current situation in myself, others and the world as it is – not celebrating, neccesarily, but being present with it as it is. 2. having compassion for all of us for innocently believing our thoughts. 3. Then, taking whatever action makes sense – challenging, teaching, listening, – whatever.
As you said not enabling, being lenient, or ignoring, while at the same time, acting with integrity, speaking the truth, being accountable and asking for accountability. It is about growing up actually, which I suspect is a lifelong project, with perfection an impossible goal.
We keep coming back to compassion. I have been watching Saving Grace on Netflix again – really a good show (I was thinking the Holly Hunter character is a perfect Sagittarius/Aries with a 9th house Chiron issue.) Anyway, the Dalhi Lama was quoted on it “If you want to feel good, have compassion; if you want others to feel good, have compassion.” Kat
Thanks for the dialogue, Kat. You echo exactly how I react and feel inwardly and then I pull back, as you indicate that you do, to the way I choose to think and behave. Looking at them as unruly children is a helpful image for me. I have been using that in other work I am doing and the genuine compassion is there, without the “enabling” or “ignoring” or “leniency” which is not appropriate considering the reality.
Sadge, yes. I believe fear is a huge factor, and also believe that most people really believe that what they are doing is “Good.” However, that Good is usually for themselves and their families and is not considering the Greater Good. How do we get people motivated to be interested in the Greater Good.? As an activist, that has been a question I am always asking. How will people begin to see that the Greater Good includes and affects them? Now and in the future?
I also think there is some faulty thinking going on re: when obviously something is amiss.
the go-to solution, which I wouldn’t even call knee-jerk, I’d call it Deeply Ingrained,is:
deny problem, or skip problem, go directly to Everything is OK.
why would anyone want to do this? well, it has to do with control, maintaining control or perceived control of the situation.
when you deny problem, it is with the hopes you can figure it out and solve it yourself, before anyone else knows you “blew it”.maintain ‘fake’ credibility. maintain cash flow. etc. pride?
or with personal situations, It Will Go Away mentality. right.
this can be tricky, esp. when problem CANNOT be figured out, is not going away, and/or gets out of hand and runs amok. (esp. when trying to solve prob. alone for too long with no results) backfires. much more damage. much more costly. ironically.
the Alternate solution, which hardly ever happens, is: Admit Problem early. seek assistance. explain what is going on in the hopes of finding a resolution, quickly.
requires relinquishing control, accepting outside help if necessary, a dialogue, and yes, admitting error or mistake in some cases. possible loss of credibility, money, control.
better chance of finding solution, rectifying problem. more timely
I think both groups (lets just pretend) want the same thing, which is resolution, just agreeing on how you go about it. and how invested$ you are in ‘being in control’ or ‘believing in the greater good’. it blows me away that really smart people, with a lot of money (or whatever they are trying to protect) at stake STILL ultimately, are so short-sighted. hmm.
control….perceived control. no one wants to admit they don’t know what to do….or they are in over their heads….even though perhaps doing so will bring others into the conversation that DO know what to do or could help…or at least allow everyone affected to know what is going on….
and then the ‘why’. alllllll the way at the root of that…is fear.
peace.
Burning River – “…many of them really believe they are helping everyone not panic.”
To further the thinking, it is like Alice Miller talks about in “For Their Own Good.” How the roots of European and American parenting practices control, invalidate and punish children “for their own good,” but the punshments are really self serving – they protect the parents from experiencing their own unhealed wounds of childhood.
So, I am left with the question of my own judgments about the people in power. My anger at them keeps me out of my own existential challenge – to be at peace no matter what – to be fair, kind and honorable – especially if I am passing judgment on others. That is not to say that I shouldn’t take action and challenge people who are hurting myself and others, but am I doing it from the same psychological position that they are in?
I have been thinking a lot about compassion recently. If I were them, how would I want to be treated? I know I would want to be stopped from continuing to hurt the earth and humanity. Even if I didn’t like it at the time, later, when I came to my ethical senses, I would be grateful. I’ll admit I am not there yet with respect to these guys – I’m on a kind of hair-trigger survival emotional state. When I think about them, my heart starts to pound and it is hard to breathe. I feel murderous. Intellectually, I know that is would not be a good thing for me to take action in this state of mind (just like angry parents shouldn’t punish their children) Punishing children or adults generally isn’t effective in getting changed behavior, and it ultimately validates their position that they are victims and reinforces going into hiding, instead of being honest.
The thing is – life is short – at some point I would like to “get it right” whatever “it” is and whatever “right” is – although I feel I am gettng a clue. Perhaps, this is one of the great challenges of this era – reeling in the projections, even under life and death circumstances, in the service of being a true human being.
In my thoughts, Kat, about how men and women of “power” sleep at night after hiding the real situation from the citizens who are affected is that many of them really believe they are helping “everyone not panic.” (Those who are not thinking that way, I believe, are srictly watching their bottom-line, and they probably never sleep anyway, being powered by a source none of my friends nor myself are interested in tapping in to.)) So, considering the miror reality that we project onto othes ourselves, THEY are trying not to panic while keeping information from the rest of us that would help usfigure out how the f*k we can take care of ouirselves. Just a thought.
Great article, Ben. I’m glad you are continuing to do honest reporting about the criminally negligent, unaccountable and dishonest owners of the Japanese nuclear plants. I just heard there were a couple of other plants that had serious damage that they are only now disclosing. I wonder how those guys sleep at night. Kat