QUAKE, TSUNAMI, MELTDOWN

Of all the bad that is happening in Japan, I can't help but be in awe of two small geologic facts. The quake shifted Japan's spot on the planet by 8 feet. It moved Japan 8 feet over. The quake also shifted the earth on its axis about 4 inches. This is nothing new with big earthquakes, but these numbers are bigger than usual and a sobering reminder that none of us is really in charge. In the words of Tom Petty, anything can happen, anything at all, don't think about it, you can go crazy.

Since the quake plenty of my even most rational friends have done what so many do when there's not a bad parent to blame, or a government to blame, or a video game to blame or dirty lyric to blame. They turn primitive. They begin speaking of how "God must be angry at us." "God is making us pay." "Between this and Libya and everything else it seems the end times are near."

Really? In 2004 the day after Christmas in Sumatra Indonesia an even bigger earthquake set off a tsunami that killed over 200,000 people.

On January 23rd 1556 in Shanshi China an earthquake killed 830,000 people.

There have been over 10 earthquakes that each killed more than 100,000 people. One of those ten happened in 893, another occurred in 856.

No doubt the primitives were saying the same things 455 years ago and 1,118 years ago and 1,155 years ago about God and the end of the world.

Oh don't get me wrong. I know it will happen. Whether by our sun burning out or by devastating meteor strike or man's own stupid selfish hand, it will happen. I just find it interesting that we try to distinguish ourselves to the side of safety by always categorizing from where bad things come. To the point that finally, when there's no violent video game to blame a Columbine on or any one of a plethora of scapegoats to explain away tragedy we turn to the heavens and say we've disappointed the gods.

In the end all we have to blame it on is 8 feet and 4 inches, and for so much bad and so much heartbreak that just doesn't seem satisfying.