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行動を起こさせるニューズ
行動を起こさせるニュース
新聞には毎日、事件や事故、災害のニュースが
あふれているが、平和な生活を送っていると
それらは自分とは関係ないことだと思いがちだ。
愛知県の森の中で、木の上の家に暮らす筆者も
最近までそうだったが、東海を襲った豪雨で…。
News That Causes One To Act
By JOHN GATHRIGHT
For me there is news and then there is NEWS! I usually classify the news I read into two categories: action news and armchair news. Action news is news that compels me to act. Armchair news is news that rarely spurs me to do anything. It hardly penetrates my conscience. It may stir my emotions, but in the comfort of my home and favorite armchair it seems so far awar that it is soon forgotten.
I'm embarrassed to say that the comfort of my home and lifestyle has made me very complacent. Most of the news I read or hear about subconsciously falls into armchair news. This includes the
plight of so many people in the world suffering from natural disasters.
But recently, my armchair has been upset and my comfortable home ravished by a storm. The
forest surrounding my home was at war! First, wind and rain attacked the forest, then lightning slaughtered the trees. Soon the forest floor surrendered to the onslaught and part of a
nearby mountain broke off and fell to the valley floor. Luckily, my house was not totally
ruined and my family was unhurt. My home was just a battle, it was the village that was at
war. I left my home and family to join the others.
In the heat of the war, armed with shovels and picks, all the men in our village tried to
save our homes. Frantically, we tried to divert the landsides and stop the overflowing rivers. Our efforts were futile compared to the arsenal of logs and rocks bombarding the
homes. After hours of fighting we collapsed in defeat.
As we limped home, I couldn't help but think about all the other flooding and natural
disasters that I had read and heard about. I recalled people who suffered much more and lost
many more lives than us.
One of the young members of our volunteer fire patrol shared his experience in Africa working
with families suffering from famine. Then one of the village elders told of historic
tragedies and wartime suffering. Even though we were exhausted, our hearts felt for all
those who suffer from disasters.
When the blackout ended we learned of even greater damage and suffering in Nagoya and other
areas.
It is often said that the world is becoming smaller everyday. But it seems that the suffering
of others is still very far away. Today the sun is out and the earth looks much like it did
before. But, as I sit in my armchair, it is amazing how much action news I have been missing.
I have discovered that if you read about flooding, famine, and earthquakes in Japan or any
other country in the world, after you put down your newspaper you can search the Internet for ways
to help. The different ways to send donations and the network of dedicated people to help make
our donations go to those in need is astounding.
The recent flooding and landslide in my village made me think about suffering. My suffering
made me think of the suffering of others. What made suffering people seem so far away was my
comfortable armchair and my lack of empathy for the plight of others.
For me there is news and then there is NEWS! I usually classify the news I read into two categories: action news and armchair news. Action news is news that compels me to act. Armchair news is news that rarely spurs me to do anything. It hardly penetrates my conscience. It may stir my emotions, but in the comfort of my home and favorite armchair it seems so far awar that it is soon forgotten.
I'm embarrassed to say that the comfort of my home and lifestyle has made me very complacent. Most of the news I read or hear about subconsciously falls into armchair news. This includes the
plight of so many people in the world suffering from natural disasters.
But recently, my armchair has been upset and my comfortable home ravished by a storm. The
forest surrounding my home was at war! First, wind and rain attacked the forest, then lightning slaughtered the trees. Soon the forest floor surrendered to the onslaught and part of a
nearby mountain broke off and fell to the valley floor. Luckily, my house was not totally
ruined and my family was unhurt. My home was just a battle, it was the village that was at
war. I left my home and family to join the others.
In the heat of the war, armed with shovels and picks, all the men in our village tried to
save our homes. Frantically, we tried to divert the landsides and stop the overflowing rivers. Our efforts were futile compared to the arsenal of logs and rocks bombarding the
homes. After hours of fighting we collapsed in defeat.
As we limped home, I couldn't help but think about all the other flooding and natural
disasters that I had read and heard about. I recalled people who suffered much more and lost
many more lives than us.
One of the young members of our volunteer fire patrol shared his experience in Africa working
with families suffering from famine. Then one of the village elders told of historic
tragedies and wartime suffering. Even though we were exhausted, our hearts felt for all
those who suffer from disasters.
When the blackout ended we learned of even greater damage and suffering in Nagoya and other
areas.
It is often said that the world is becoming smaller everyday. But it seems that the suffering
of others is still very far away. Today the sun is out and the earth looks much like it did
before. But, as I sit in my armchair, it is amazing how much action news I have been missing.
I have discovered that if you read about flooding, famine, and earthquakes in Japan or any
other country in the world, after you put down your newspaper you can search the Internet for ways
to help. The different ways to send donations and the network of dedicated people to help make
our donations go to those in need is astounding.
The recent flooding and landslide in my village made me think about suffering. My suffering
made me think of the suffering of others. What made suffering people seem so far away was my
comfortable armchair and my lack of empathy for the plight of others.
Shukan ST: September 29, 2000
(C) All rights reserved
chu.htm
- NEWS
- (news と比べて)行動を起こさせる重大ニュースのこと
- classify into
- に分類する
- armchair
- ひじ掛けいすの
- compels me to act
- 行動を起こさせる
- rarely spurs me to
- <するよう駆り立てるようなことはめったにない
- penetrates
- <に届く
- conscience
- 良心
- stir my emotions
- 心を動かす
- in the comfort of
- <の快適さの中で
- favorite
- お気に入りの
- (am)embarrassed
- 恥ずかしい
- made me very complacent
- のおかげで、ぬるま湯につかったような状態になっていた
- subconsciously falls into
- 半ば無意識にへと振り分けられる
- plight
- 苦境
- suffering from natural disasters
- 天災に苦しめられている
- has been upset
- ひっくり返された
- (has been)ravished
- 強奪された
- was at war
- 戦争のさなかにいた
- lightning
- 稲妻
- slaughtered
- 惨殺した
- forest floor
- 林床(森林の中の地表面)
- surrendered to
- <に負けた
- onslaught
- 猛襲
- valley floor
- 谷底
- was not totally ruined
- 全滅まではいかなかった
- unhurt
- 無傷の
- battle
- 戦い
- armed with
- <で武装して
- picks
- つるはし
- Frantically
- 狂ったように
- divert
- そらす
- landslides
- 山崩れ
- overflowing
- 氾濫している
- futile
- 役に立たない
- arsenal
- of 大量の
- logs
- 丸太
- bombarding
- <を攻撃している
- collapsed in defeat
- くじけた
- limped home
- よろよろと家に帰った
- I couldn't help but
- せずにはいられなかった
- flooding
- 洪水
- recalled
- 思い出した
- shared his experience
- 自分の体験を語った
- famine
- 飢きん
- elders
- 年配の方
- historic tragedies
- 歴史的な惨事
- wartime
- 戦時中の
- were exhausted
- へとへとだった
- felt for
- <に同情した
- blackout
- 停電
- have been missing
- 見落としていた
- earthquakes
- 地震
- donations
- 寄付金
- network of dedicated people to help
- するために尽くす人々の組織
- astounding
- びっくりするような
- empathy
- 共感
<