Have you seen the 2008 movie by Miyazaki "Ponyo"? Wonderful movie, dreamy and delicate. In it, there is about everything that has shappened this week in Japan: the tsunami, the sea that invades the land, boats swept away, people seeking refuge where they can. It is an illustration of the relationship that the Japanese have with the sea: a bit of fear, a bit of respect and also a bit of love. The whole is embodied by the sea goddess of the movie, Granmamare; a character that echoes the ancient Mediterranean sea goddesses which are more familiar to us, Westerners, Isis o Amphitrite.
The sea doesn't hate us, obviously. But, as for many things on this planet, we cannot pretend to ignore the sea, least of all to dominate it. Yet, it is a mistake we do all the time; buliding nuclear plants in seismic zones near the sea shore is just one of the many.
