Life Built on the 'Taken for Granted': Realizations from the Okinawa Water Outage
From last night through today, there have been successive water outages in Okinawa.
On social media, too, voices saying “I can't wash,” “What should I do?” have been appearing one after another, and I myself managed to escape the situation by leaving for work at the very last minute after confirming that the water at my home was about to stop.
However, this water outage did not end as “just an inconvenience” for me.
Throughout my life, I have lived with right-side paralysis from a cerebral hemorrhage and higher brain dysfunction.
Furthermore, I also have an acquired
“obsessive-compulsive disorder,”
and “washing my hands”
has become an indispensable act in my daily life.(To be published later: About Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)That is precisely why the fact that there is no water shakes the foundation of my life.The event of a water outage is perceived completely differently depending on the person.
Some people end it with “How inconvenient,” while others, like me, have their mental stability and the very functions of their daily life threatened.
And I thought.
The “taken for granted” things that people need to live are not built on being taken for granted.
Water supply.
Electricity.Gas.
Communications.
Roads.
Medical care.
We can live normally today precisely because someone is protecting each of these.Even during typhoons, disasters, or in the middle of the night.
There are people working continuously behind the scenes.
Without their existence,
our lives would stop in an instant.
The “peaceful daily life” of the country of Japan is built upon the accumulation of the efforts of countless people.
This water outage drove that fact deep into my heart.
There are things you realize only when you lose them
With this water outage, I thought once again.
People know the “value of water” when they lose water, know the “preciousness of electricity” when they lose electricity, and know the “gratitude of being alive” when they lose their health.
It was the same when I experienced a cerebral hemorrhage at age 12.
Only after my right hand stopped moving did I know the gratitude of
“being able to move.”
Only after my words stopped coming together did I understand the importance of “being able to communicate.”
People only realize things when they lose them.
And that realization gives us a perspective to look at the world kindly once more.
Bringing “Thank you” back into daily life
While many people are troubled by the water outage, the staff who responded by sending out water supply trucks, the workers sweating toward restoration, and the people protecting the lifelines working through the night.
Our “daily life” is protected today by these people.
That is why, right now, I want to say it with pride.
Thank you.
Truly, thank you.
When daily life stops, you can clearly see how great people's kindness and support are.
And, I want to be an adult who does not forget this “thank you.”
This week, I will post about “disasters.”
If this article resonates with you, I would be happy if you could support me with a “Like” or “Share”!
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