We get stronger only by learning.

"We've never imagined such a situation before."

This conversation repeats every day on FaceTime with my mother. She said an interesting thing.

"We've started to think since 3.11 that there are always some matters to solve."

"Gradually we grew wise by experiencing the big events in the past."

I totally agree with her.

My first experience of fear : 9.11

Since I was born, the event I felt the fear for the first time was "9.11". I remember the live streaming by NHK into details. However, it felt like "it's another person's affair" because it happened in New York.

Then "The Bankruptcy in Lehman Brothers" in 2008

I was 23 years old in 2008 and I just quitted the ground staff at Narita airport. I realized it was a huge economic crisis since I reluctantly chose to be a temporary employee, not a regular employee. 

However, I didn't do any investment so it didn't affect me much.

Finally, the "Great East Japan Earthquake" on 3.11, 2011

"3.11" was the very first time to feel fear for death.

I lived in Chiba with my mother and grandmother. When the first earthquake happened, I worked at the office in Akasaka and my family was in different place. I thought "someone might die by this earthquake " in a flash. Yes, "death" was by my side.

Fortunately, all of my family was safe and we could meet one day after the earthquake.

I remember all the things we did during the planned power outage. The weather was cold in March, so we burned candles to warm ourselves every night.

Since then, we learned and gained lots of knowledge of disaster prevention.
(Although there are still many things to learn, for example, the strong typhoon in 2019)

Then, "Coronavirus" in 2020

I read the book "How Contagion Works(『コロナの時代の僕ら』)" by Paolo Giordano. In the postscript, he asked us an interesting question.

"What do you want to memorize about the coronavirus shock?"
"What do you want not to change after the coronavirus?"

Yes, we learned a lot from this newly born virus. We grew wiser and wiser by experiencing unknown things.

How Contagion Works: Science, Awareness and Community in Times of Global Crises - The short essay that helped change the Covid-19 debate (English Edition)

コロナの時代の僕ら