1. THE CALM – Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated.
2. THE DIGNITY – Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture.
3. THE ABILITY – The incredible architects, …for instance. Buildings swayed but didn’t fall.
4. THE GRACE – People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something.
5. THE ORDER – No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just understanding.
6. THE SACRIFICE – Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How will they ever be repaid?
7. THE TENDERNESS – Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared for the weak.
8. THE TRAINING – The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they did just that.
9. THE MEDIA – They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No silly reporters. Only calm reportage.
10. THE CONSCIENCE – When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the shelves and left quietly.
From Alain Nu
