viewing things from outside of the tohoku area, it’s easy to get sidetracked. sidetracked meaning your mind wondering off, over thinking things, and trying to figure out things on your own.
when i was back in hawaii between mission 2 and 3, i thought to myself “hey, i’m going back to tohoku and test the water for radiation, see if it’s safe to surf or go in the ocean.” i spent sleepless hours on the phone and internet researching how to become a radiological scientist in 1 week. i had the plan, i had the money, i had the resources, and i had the time to do what i wanted to do, which was to see if the ocean in tohoku contained uranium or other radioactive materials in the water. i just set my mind to it and was trying to find out the best way to do it.
then on the first night while we where camping in the oshika peninsula, a local surfer stopped by for a chat. it was that time i asked him “would you mind if i check the water here for radiation?” he stopped, looked at me, and said “right now isn’t the time for something like that. we’re not even thinking about going into the water. there are still over 10,000 missing. plus, we don’t want to know if there is radiation here or not. because if there is, it’s going to put another big setback on the fisherman, and the people that live here that are trying to rebuild their lives.” then we talked to 2 more local surfers in the tohoku area and they pretty much told us the same thing.
so i came to a conclusion. i will not test the water in the tohoku area for the public. i understand the locals way of thinking and i totally agree on their feelings. i’m just glad i asked the right people first because i was really determined on doing it. and it could have backfired on me. i respect the local people where ever i go. and just because i was thinking about something on the other side of the world, it doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. it was a valuable lesson for me and next time i decide to do something that can affect so many lives, i will research more, starting off with asking the right people, the locals.
so just wanted to say sorry to the locals for almost doing something that you wouldn’t want to be done. at the same time, thank you for being honest with me and sharing your true feelings. we are one and if that day does come when you want the water tested, let me know and i’ll be the first to do it. until then, keep on moving forward.