Ancient Wisdom

A tiny village survived the tsunami of March 11 simply because it listened to the wisdom of its ancestors. According to this Associated Press article,

Modern sea walls failed to protect coastal towns from Japan's destructive tsunami last month. But in the hamlet of Aneyoshi, a single centuries-old tablet saved the day.

"High dwellings are the peace and harmony of our descendants," the stone slab reads. "Remember the calamity of the great tsunamis. Do not build any homes below this point."

It was advice the dozen or so households of Aneyoshi heeded, and their homes emerged unscathed from a disaster that flattened low-lying communities elsewhere and killed thousands along Japan's northeastern shore.

Hundreds of such markers dot the coastline, some more than 600 years old. Collectively they form a crude warning system for Japan, whose long coasts along major fault lines have made it a repeated target of earthquakes and tsunamis over the centuries.

. . .

One stone marker warned of the danger in the coastal city of Kesennuma: "Always be prepared for unexpected tsunamis. Choose life over your possessions and valuables."

What a striking parallel to the connection between toxic mold and health. I shudder as I recall the horrifying footage of March 11. I remember feeling an odd sense of kinship with the survivors. Losing a home to toxic mold feels much like a silent tsunami. The added potential radiation sickness reminds me of our lifelong health issues stemming from the exposure to deadly mycotoxins.

How grateful I am that we were advised to choose life over our possessions and valuables.

There's one more "tablet" that makes me think of toxic mold and health: Proverbs 22:3.

"A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it."

How desperately we need to understand the dangers of toxic indoor environments and take action.