Serenity and Wrath
by/margit cathrine moller

Watching the news about the ongoing devastation in Japan that started with a historic earthquake, then a devastating tsunami, and now a nuclear crisis, I feel that my respect for the Earth has deepened. I am not afraid of the earth can do, I just feel a deep respect.

While my mind is trying to digest all these images of people suffering, of towns completely wiped out from the map, of water unleashing its force, I allowed myself to look back at the other images I have of Japan.

Like the first photo above, my images of Japan had been portraits of beauty and serenity – snow falling softly on lovely rock gardens, of cherry blossoms in springs, of breathtaking mountains.

I realized that two images – serenity and wrath – are two sides of the same coin. They belong to the same reality.

Those are the same realities in our interior landscapes, of everything inside us. All of us have so much beauty and serenity within, but all of us have the capacity to unleash our anger and cause damage to others, and to the environment.

The environment reflects the true nature of humanity. It is our task, especially in the healing process, to make sure that each person reveals the real beauty within, and each person tames his or her inner wrath.

While we continue to pray for the people in Japan, we have to learn from these lessons.