EARTHQUAKES, G-D, NATURE AND FREEMARKETS

• THE HUMAN TOLL OF THE JAPANESE EARTHQUAKE MIGHT BE AS MANY AS 88,000 - A HORRIFIC AND HEARTBREAKING NUMBER OF SOULS.

• A COMPARISON TO THE DEVASTATION IN HAITI FROM A SMALLER EVENT PROVES THAT IF JAPAN WAS NOT A FREE-MARKET CAPITALIST ECONOMY, THEN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WORSE.

WHAT CAN ONE SAY ABOUT SOMETHING SO TERRIBLE?

WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT NATURE AND THE EXISTENCE OF G-D?

WELL... THE FORCES THAT MAKE THE EARTH SO BOUNTIFUL AND SO FULL OF VARIOUS AND AMAZING LANDSCAPES AND ENVIRONS AND NICHES ALSO MAKE IT DANGEROUS AT TIMES.

IT CANNOT BE ANY OTHER WAY.

AND G-D?? WHAT G-D CAN STAND BY AS CATACLYSMS LIKE THIS HAPPEN?

G-D'S EMBRACE OF THE FALLEN AND THE INJURED AND THOSE IN SHOCK AND GRIEF IS ULTIMATELY THE ONLY SOLACE THERE EVER IS.

LIFE MUST ALWAYS CONTAIN PAIN AND GRIEF AND LOSS AND DEATH. SOMETIMES ON A SMALL SCALE ONLY SUFFERED BY A UNIQUE SOUL, AND SOMETIMES ON A LARGE SCALE SUFFERED BY NATIONS - AND ALL HUMANITY.

DEALING WITH THIS, SURMOUNTING IT AND LEARNING FROM IS WHAT LIFE IS ALL ABOUT. WHAT LIFE IS FOR.

I PRAY FOR THE RELIEF OF ALL THOSE SUFFERING.