Mindset

About ten years ago, while I was working at my computer, Gustav called out to me, "Hyaku-san."
"Hmm?"
"It's an earthquake."
Saying that, Gustav looked up at the ceiling. I followed his gaze, but the fluorescent lights were firmly screwed into the ceiling, and there was nothing there that would sway. I'm not sure why he looked up, but there was no doubt that the ground beneath our feet was shaking. It wasn't the small, rapid tremors I was used to; it was a large, slow, swaying motion, which is why I hadn't noticed it at all until he told me.
People around us started saying things like "Earthquake," "It's shaking," and "Oh," but Gustav went back to work, and no one else made a move to leave their seats.
Thinking that if I stayed with these people I might actually die, I got up from my seat alone and walked briskly out to the parking lot. That was the designated evacuation area for the disaster drills we held every year.
I waited for the shaking to subside while watching the power lines, but not a single person came out. There would be no point in holding disaster drills at this rate. I was truly appalled that even the general affairs staff, who were the ones making us do the drills every year, didn't come out.
Eventually, once the shaking had stopped, everyone finally started to trickle out.
I thought about asking them what on earth they were doing the drills for every year, but since there was no benefit to doing so, I kept it to myself.
Instead, I grabbed Smith and said, "Thanks to the earthquake, we can't get any work done. You've got to do something about this." Smith looked troubled and replied, "Don't ask me."
At this rate, I thought that if a major disaster were to strike, surely none of us would make it out safely, but the company went out of business before any such disaster could occur.