Are we hopeless against the power of nature?
By Janet Shin
A giant earthquake registered 9 in magnitude hit Japan. It was one of the strongest quakes ever recorded in the Earth’s history. The tsunami, caused by this quake hit northeastern Japan caused massive flooding and even changed the shape of the coastline. There are continued fears about a possible radiation leak owing to damage at nuclear power facilities.
This news over the past days reminded us how human beings are vulnerable to the vast phenomenon of nature. There is no logical correlation between this natural disaster and any religious or moral aspects. We cannot relate it with any past histories or unethical behaviors.
Although Japan was well-prepared for such a disaster, especially for quakes, and they indeed reported a lower death toll and fewer damaged buildings due to their heightened readiness and calm, this calamity clearly warned us how thin and shallow the fate of human beings is compared to the magnitude of the universe.
A mother missed her grip to lose her daughter in the flood and a husband and wife were separated by a powerful wave.
The natural disaster is put to the back of our minds while we rather wonder when we will be promoted or when we will meet our soul mates. We ask trivial questions such as when to move and where. The humane anguish proves that human beings are like dust in the wind when it comes to the realm of the cosmos.
Ancient people have studied the movement of the universe and the relationship between the earth and other planets. Whenever they observed unusual weather phenomena or extraordinary changes in constellations, they recorded the time, day and month of year to trace the causes and effects of the cosmic mechanism. When they discovered a repetition and coincidental cosmic energy, they recorded the mathematical and philosophical theory in an attempt to understand whole universe.
Let’s take examples from the past few years:
When the year fortune of 2011 was read, abnormal changes in weather, floods, volcanic eruptions and so on were forecasted. I wished this prophecy wouldn’t prove to be correct.
The year 2009 had yin earth property in both heavenly and earthly signs. This is often described as cold and dark swampy earth. It brought economic recession as if it sunk into a swamp of stagnation.
The year 2010 had yang metal element as a heavenly sign and yang wood element as an earthly sign. According to the five element circulation, metal may control wood just as a metal ax chops wood. However it was the year that the power of wood exceeded that of metal. So the earthly energy of wood overpowered the heavenly energy of metal. It was the cause of a devastating quake in Haiti last year.
This year also has yin metal and yin wood for heavenly and earthly signs respectively. And the energy relationship between stem (heavenly sign) and branch (earthly sign) is similar to that of 2010. This was the reason why such abnormal natural phenomena were foreseen. From a different angle, the protests against dictatorships in Middle East countries can be another situation showing this energy flow.
I have never advised people to lean by any irrational way of comfort during adversity. While it may sound too pessimistic, we learn lessons from our daily lives that effort does not always pay off.
Despite this pitiless reality it never thwarts us from our attempt to lengthen our lives. The adversity made us stronger and stimulated to challenge the nature. In the great power of nature, people surrendered and cultivated a sense of awe toward it but at the same time, they overcame and rebuilt their world.
In the grief from natural disasters we see the latent energy of the Japanese and how the love for humanity rises and unites in the hearts of people all around the world.
The writer is the president of the Heavenly Garden, a saju research center in Korea, and the author of “Learning Four Pillars” For more information, visit Shin’s website at www.fourpillarskorea.com