Fukushima *rant*

[Guest SomethingOrOther]

I'm having trouble getting on with life. That's not a new development, but it's not easier with catastrophes going on. Maybe I should cut all the reasoning why things make me sad. I don't want to start a discussion about nuclear energy, given that many of the comments I read elsewhere do make me angry. Sometimes even someone sounding optimistic makes me angry, cause I figure they don't quite understand what's going on. The rhetoric of my government makes me angry: "nobody imagined this could happen". What a lie and an insult. I'm glad I live in a country that plans to stop using nuclear energy and in a public who put so much pressure on the government that they had to take back some of their atom-friendly decisions. I'm so rarely part of the majority. It's nice to see something go right. At the same time things go wrong in so many places and they won't stop for a long time. I wish it would stop. But one of the experts said to even get to the point of a proper meltdown can take a week. It's not even been a week yet. It's like I'm watching the news to see he was wrong, but all they tell me is that he was right and the worst hasn't happened yet, though it's unlikely that it's not going to happen given that it isn't stopped efficiently. All I can do is understand things and all that understanding things does is that I don't easily fall for news about how the situation "get's worse by the hour". It doesn't, because it has actually been quite bad all that time already and what they call "worse" is just that nothing is getting better. And when nothing gets better, meltdown proceeds. I hadn't previously known what a rubbish construction nuclear power plants really are. Switch them off - they'll explode. Basically. Sorry, I'm going on about this. I don't know how to get that out of my head at the moment. I feel very absorbed. I know I don't even *want* to deal with my life. It's all just to easy to forget all about my life. I keep feeling like I'm fighting windmills and last week it was just a bit of physical pain that was enough to blow me away. I keep thinking this would be difficult to look at even under the best of circumstances and when I'm blown away there is no way I'd work on getting a job I like. I still don't *think* there even IS a job I like. I need to get the whole world out of my head and then I have to put part of it back in. :confused:

[randomperson]

I get frustrated as well. Started a rant too but stopped myself.

I wish there was more the everyday people could do to take control over our lives. Despite the country we live in seems like we all are being led around by a small minority who does not have our best interests in mind.

[Guest deadman]

end of participation

[randomperson]

Great post does get you to thinking.

I think a good chunk of it is the fact things are difficult for normal people right now.

Things that could be fixed or at least improved with some logical thinking and working together. Someone's to blame but everyone keeps passing the blame around.

For me the nuclear problem was only a bit of the overall issue.

Maybe it isn't the politicians, maybe it is us.. who knows but how do we change?

How does things get better is the real question.

As you say it doesn't help to complain. But there has to be something that even busy people can do to start making a positive change.

[Guest SomethingOrOther]

Oh, yeah. The lights will go out and we’ll have to import nuclear energy from France.

That’s what ouf chanceloress said three days ago. Yesterday, she switched of seven nuclear power plants, because „we produce so much electricity that there will be no shortage.“

Yes, by all means, DO think about whose argument you buy. After all, buying and selling is a big part of what this is about.

Nuclear power produces about 25% of german electricity. It has been decided to stop using it a couple of years ago, a decision which todays government partially took back under heavy criticism, not asking the senate, which was potentially illegal, trial pending, a couple of months ago, mainly because the energy providers asked them to and are good friends.

I can’t say I’m sad about the fact that this came back to bite them in their behinds now. I don’t like the way it did, though. I would have totally been content with a decision of the supreme court.

Of course „hysteria“ is the kind of argument conservatives have against all political „ideological“ left-wing views. It’s because those ideologists are too stupid to understand basic statistics and smoke gras all day, which gives them funny ideas. That is probably also why „nobody (in their right minds) imagined this could happen“. Also, mushrooms grown in Bavaria will still contain elevated levels of radioactivity for the next couple of decades.

[Guest deadman]

I made a mistake in judgment. Sorry for my error.

[malign]

I would agree that we all want a safe place to live.

In this case, though, what we're debating isn't really about mental health, and the tone just possibly could make people feel like this forum is a less safe place to be.

I would like to ask that those feelings be considered, in drafting replies to this topic. In particular, using capital letters for emphasis feels like yelling, to many readers, and I would hope yelling wouldn't be needed.

[malign]

If I wanted it deleted, DM, I'dve said that. I believe in freedom of speech, and I believe in choosing one's words. And second chances, and rainbows, too ...

You weren't and aren't a monster. You're a very articulate person who makes his points forcefully. But so is 'SomethingOrOther', and I doubt that she feels that she's been duped by the media. I completely believe what you wrote over your first post, about your motivation.

This is really what we're all here for: to interact in a microcosm of the larger social world, and to learn from that process. Complete self-censorship probably isn't the answer, though.

[Guest SomethingOrOther]

Sorry. I was just trying to suggest that poor information can lead to distress and suggest from my professional experience that this is purposeful and abusive to members of the public. I thought this knowledge might help unstress or reduce depression.

I agree with that, too.

I also agree that I assume I’m rather good at filtering proper information. I might be wrong. Still, to me it looks like a situation in which hysteria doesn’t manage to add a lot of terror to what is actually going on. They throw water onto a nuclear power plant from a helicopter.

I’m worried about what’s happening and I wish it would be over as fast as an earthquake and a tsunami, but it won’t do me that favour, because radioactivity is mostly not over fast. Contained or uncontained, it’s just really not famous for being over fast. Actually, that’s quite possibly what it is least famous for. So, personally I guess I really hope they get the cooling down going, so that I can just forget about it anyway.

[Guest ASchwartz]

This disaster in Japan is terrifying for everyone around the globe. I believe that is the reason such intense passion is being expressed in this forum. All of us feel exposed, regardless of where we live. I think it hits upon some of our weakest points: feeling threatened, insecure, vulnerable, helpless and scared: emotions that date back to our youngest years. That is not to suggest that our feelings about Japan are wrong. Quite the contrary, they are right and they are universal. I am guessing that the impulse to discuss politics stems from those feelings of helplessness and threat we each feel.

Lets not any of us argue politics but try to understand the feelings we are experiencing and try to help each other with this.

What do you think?

Allan

[khepri]

I think you're absolutely right. The issue is fear. I'm not a nuclear engineer, and my knowledge of nuclear reactors is only very rudimentary, but I think the news media is focusing too much on the plants and not enough on what can be done to help the poor Japanese people. As far as I understand, nuclear plants are generally pretty safe -barring an unprecedented disaster like this-, but I think the disaster and resulting meltdowns themselves ought to be enough to shape opinion. I could be wrong.

[Guest SomethingOrOther]

The media are having their own problems: at the moment they can't decide if they'd better keep the Lybia-Liveticker or switch it back to Japan... I can literally see discussions about that in my imagination.

What worries me more than peoples fears is the need to call them irrational and overcome them by believing things that are more comfortable.

[LaLa]

What worries me more than peoples fears is the need to call them irrational and overcome them by believing things that are more comfortable.

This is a very rational remark. A very good point, from my point of view. But I still have a comment which... maybe is a bit contradictory, at least it seems so: For me, there are two types of "fear's irrationality": It can be "irrational" because it lacks "real" reasons (which is obviously not the case here, with nuclear energy, earthquakes etc.) or because it cannot lead to the "removal of the danger" - and this is, I think, the case here. Do you believe that when there are enough people who fear something, it won't happen? You mentioned the pressure of citizens (to politicians) against nuclear powerplants - and that it was successful in your country. So maybe sometimes it really is possible. But... there sill are many fears that are "irrational" in that second meaning and my opinion is that it's better to get rid of them, as they can be very paralysing. I used to be very anxious about many kinds of dangers (war, disasters, ...) and it only made my life "less supportable", it didn't bring anything positive. Then, slowly, the fears became more and more suppressed and... well... I can't tell my life is beautiful , but... the absence of that ubiquitous anxiety is quite fine, without doubts...

(I supposed this would be only a short post, but I see that... *sigh*... )

[Guest SomethingOrOther]

Reading the sentence again, it's a bit like I declared war on cbt.

Of course cbt isn't about believing comfortable things, it's about being rational about scary things. Luckily.

It's true that anxiety can make life very uncomfortable, but I wonder how one can tell when it ought to be. So many "normal" people seem to believe what is comfortable and not care about it's effects, it makes me wonder if things wouldn't better be a lot more uncomfortable. :-/

[LaLa]

I have to agree ...

[randomperson]

Reading the sentence again, it's a bit like I declared war on cbt.

Of course cbt isn't about believing comfortable things, it's about being rational about scary things. Luckily.

It's true that anxiety can make life very uncomfortable, but I wonder how one can tell when it ought to be. So many "normal" people seem to believe what is comfortable and not care about it's effects, it makes me wonder if things wouldn't better be a lot more uncomfortable. :-/

Very true.

Seems like us crazy folk have our heads on straighter than the 'sane' ones in many ways

[Guest SomethingOrOther]

I can't help but think that it would be healthier for you not to agree with me.

Hmm.

*contemplativicon*

I probably can't quite recommend being like me, that might be it.

I feel so tired now but that's more to do with the job search and the sore thoat and hating it hating it hating it.

[LaLa]

*contemplativicon*

I probably can't quite recommend being like me, that might be it.

I see. I feel the same about myself.

(But I have to admit that it seems more sad and unlucky to be you :-(, I'm sorry... I, at least, have my husband and a job for some time. So it might seem I'm a lucky girl. Hm. Everything depends on to who we compare ourselves. S., you are a very lucky girl when compared to millions of people. But... why am I sure that this doesn't help you to feel better? :-( It's always our own destiny that we feel the most... You know. ... And I don't know why I write this all... :-( ... I often don't understnad myself and the reasons for "writing too much" are one of the most uncomprehended of all... *sigh*)

[randomperson]

Unless we are ranting we are from planet k-9485Y and claim we can turn gold into jelly beans for the most part crazy is relative and depends on perspective.

We all have our own unique problems we face.

Does self esteem issues (the overall recurring problem most of us share in here) = to more crazy than habitual negative personality traits that are deemed accepted by main stream society and considered normal just because they are typical traits carried by those who write the rule books of popularity?

My answer is no. I think you have to be a little "crazy" at some point in your life to understand compassion, pain, the deepest parts of love.

[Guest SomethingOrOther]

Ha! At least I don't have a job for some time!

Unlike the past 12 months, I now also get money for it.

I've noticed I feel this tired and annoyed and nerve-killing, when I'm actually nervous and not looking forward to something. I'll have to get up early and spend the whole day on the train and then talk to pharma industry people on a job fair, who seem to offer very few jobs I would consider and lots of jobs in sales.

[Guest SomethingOrOther]

I can't think of an answer, random. My head is switching off, but I understand what you're saying.

S.