Caring for Others and Protecting the Environment: A Message from a Country Prone to Natural Disasters

Japan often faces earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, and other natural disasters.
Disasters do not choose people. They can suddenly strike anyone’s life.
Each time, we are reminded of the equality of human life and the importance of helping one another.

Last week, heavy rain flooded part of the city where I live.
A supermarket where I buy daily necessities and shops in an underground mall were badly damaged.
Fortunately, my home was safe, but the affected places are part of my everyday life. It made me realize that these events are never someone else’s problem.

I also remember the Great East Japan Earthquake. I evacuated from my office in Tokyo.
Public transportation stopped, mobile phones did not work, and I could not contact my family.
That evening, I walked to the home of a close friend who took me in. That experience impressed on me the value of human connections and the comfort of daily life.

Our lives depend on clean air, fresh water, and the security of ordinary days.
Everyone has the right to live in health and safety, but protecting that environment depends on the choices we make.
What we buy and how we consume matter. If we focus only on convenience, we may one day find that the life we took for granted has stopped.
By the time damage happens, it is too late.

The recent heavy rain also reminded me of climate change caused by global warming.
Around the world, extreme weather such as heavy rain, heat waves, and droughts is increasing.
This summer is especially hot, and many people in Japan can feel the change in their own lives.
Faced with this reality, we need to think about what we choose to do every day.

One answer is to use tools that can be reused, like the furoshiki.
A furoshiki is a piece of cloth used in Japan to wrap and carry things. It is a simple idea with deep wisdom.
Using it for shopping or travel reduces disposable bags and packaging.
When you wrap a gift with care, the time and effort you spend show the other person how much you value them.

Many places in the world also use cloth or baskets to carry things.
The furoshiki can share with the world the idea of using something over and over again.
Small choices, such as reducing plastic waste and easing our burden on the environment, can help pass clean air, fresh water, and a warm society on to the next generation.

Caring for others and caring for the environment.
By keeping these two ideas in mind and adding small efforts to our daily lives, we can make a difference.
As one simple step, try choosing a furoshiki and using it for a long time.
Even a small action can become a steady step toward a better future.