It would be an understatement to say that a lot is going on in the world these days; nuclear cloud, tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, revolution in the Arab world, to name a few. It is easy to feel overwhelmed. I would like to zoom in on something I find quite extraordinary, and that is the fact that the Japanese did not loot and plunder during the catastrophe that hit them. Why didn’t they? As opposed to e.g the people in New Orleans, USA?
What seem obvious at a first glance are the differences between a collective culture and an individualist culture. Meaning that the Japanese think in terms of how you fit in and take care of the (larger) group. Whereas people in an individualist culture (e.g USA) think in terms of being responsible for self and immediate family. There’s more to it, though. I would add that in Japan discipline/self control is important, as well as harmony and politeness. Factors like low crime rate, (Buddhist) tradition & values and general high focus on moral probably influence too. Other cultures also value discipline, politeness, (Christian) tradition & values and high moral, but it doesn’t stop them from looting. Could the social level play a role? If you compare Tokyo to New Orleans (hurricane 2005), one would clearly see a difference in income levels. I think it does matter. Someone who is afraid to have enough money to manage life during “normal times”, might feel little hopeful for the future when a catastrophe occurs. And coming back to the Japanese, I would think that someone who is used to a high standard of living, would feel hopeful that things will get back to normal at some stage. I can see that people would disagree on that, feeling that cultural values play a bigger role than money. Personally, I believe the looting/not looting is a result of many factors; cultural as well as practical.
Every society has its pluses and minuses. In this particular situation, I think we have seen the pluses, or the strengths, of the Japanese society. I am impressed by the calm, the bravery (e.g the staff in the nuclear plant) and the efforts from each individual that I have seen on the news these last weeks. And my heart goes out to all the people who have lost their dear ones, their homes and their living. I wish you all the very very best for the future!
