Chapter 192
I might want to shout "Les Miserables", because more than 50,000 people died in the Great Turkey Earthquake. The search is still ongoing, but I sincerely pray for the repose of the soul. After plagues, wars, earthquakes, this world seems like hell. "Les Miserables" is a novel by Victor Hugo, but it is set against the backdrop of the French Revolution and the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte. The Russian expedition was the catalyst for Napoleon's downfall, but it was at most 210 years ago. At that time, Europe was so busy with war that borders could not be defined. In the island country of Japan, there are almost no opportunities to be conscious of national borders, but if you take a Eurail train, you can travel to and from various countries without passport censorship. Jean-Valjean, the main character of such an era, is imprisoned for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread. Napoleon is also imprisoned on the island of St. Helena, but the fate of the protagonist, who is unknown, overlaps to that of the emperor. The literature of this period was excellent, and Tolstoy's "War and Peace" describes the fall of the Russian nobility. Freed from the imperial rule and other restraints through the civil revolution, the artist has blossomed to the fullest in an era of great turmoil. More than two centuries later, the world is still repeating the same mistakes. Those who died in wars and earthquakes probably didn't even have time to shout "Les Miserables." In that sense, shouting "Les Miserables" seems like a privilege bestowed on those lucky enough to survive. It teaches that life is to live while enduring such unreasonable treatment. It may be nonsense to compare these classics with modern smartphone short movies TikTok, but how will TikTok and other frivolous-considerate cultures be evaluated 200 years from now? Will the sight of the young people dancing without thinking and the content of their innocent talk give people sympathy 200 years from now? Individually, it's too frivolous, but if they may search with keywords and systematize it, young people's emotions and views on love may be received by young people in the future.
People have always suffered from wars, disasters and epidemics. The wars and earthquakes on the Black Sea coast have made us see the contrast between human stupidity and the tremendous power of nature. A slight crustal movement of the earth destroyed the delicate houses, and people were buried under the buildings. Advances in science and technology are constrained by costs rather than the essentials of human life and health. Moreover, we tend to focus on details such as convenience, richness, and enjoyment. Memories of the Great East Japan Earthquake are still burned into my mind, but that doesn't mean many people have moved to the top of the mountain. Even in rural areas like Tokushima, people usually use their own cars, so it would be nice to have a house on top of a mountain, but there aren't many eccentrics like that. Daily life such as shopping and work is more convenient and efficient on flat land. If an earthquake hits, people should evacuate to high ground. From an administrative point of view, more budget is spent on infrastructure development such as electricity, gas, water supply, and roads, which are necessary for daily life, rather than building strong breakwaters along the coast. Despite this understanding, it is difficult to prepare for a disaster that only occurs once every 50 to 100 years. There is a buzzword called SDGs that I don't understand. Considering the sustainable development of life and health, UV-LED still has a big mission to fulfill.
Shooting scenery of TV program SDGs COMPASS
March 10, 2023
Les Miserables
