Futile Unrest, Fragile World.

I got up late today. 

Lately I've had a slight case of sleeping disorder which allows me to sleep at dawn and wake up at noon. Last night I slept a couple of hours after midnight but still ended up waking up late.

When I finally got up and checked my twitter updates, I was glued to it for the rest of the day. 

While I slept the morning away, a little island nation in East Asia was going though its worst natural disaster. While I stretched, yawned and rolled over to snooze for another minute, buildings swayed, homes crumbled and lives were lost. While it was just another lazy morning for me, people in Japan had their most terrifying day.

As I surfed the net to look up pictures and videos of the tsunami that was caused by the quake, it somehow felt familiar. I've come across such scenes before: 30 feet high waves crashing in, homes and streets submerged in water, cars bobbing along the sea water that flooded the streets, fire breaking out everywhere, debris all over the town and cities. Yes, I've seen such scenes before. In theaters, on screen, on big budget Hollywood disaster movies. 

Just never in real life.

And as I browsed more pictures, listened to reports and watched news channels, I keep telling myself "This can't be happening". I was shaken for the whole day. I prayed... continuously. There wasn't anything else I can do.

It makes me think of how fragile this world is; how much we accumulate everything as if we're going to live forever. The days that we spent, slogging for something that we know we can't keep forever. The futile unrest that we made for ourselves only to acquire things that can perish with the snap of a finger. The relationships that we sacrifice in want of a better material-tomorrow. Until that one fine spring afternoon when the whole world comes down. How futile is our wealth and how fragile is our world?? Unless we have the One who calms all the storm.

It also makes me wonder what if such a disaster hits my hometown?? My little city on the hill where big houses with bad foundations are perched on cliffs and rocks. I shook again. Violently. I thought about my own home, my family, the people I love most in the world. I stared at the crumbling buildings on my computer screen again. It could easily be them in such buildings, had even a slight quake happened at Aizawl.

I don't want to continue thinking about it.

So I switch my attention to Japan. My heart and my prayers go out to the people in Japan who are affected by the disaster. You have been through a lot before. And I am sure you will rise again! Prayers are with you always.