Can the aftermath of a natural disaster like a major earthquake be compared to September 11?
At the fundamental level, people’s reactions are similar. They will have problems sleeping and eating, difficulty in concentrating and getting back to a functional level again. The “beauty” of the earthquake is that there’s a definitive beginning and end, once it’s determined that the aftershocks are over. September 11 is still not finished, because everyone is obviously concerned about more terrorist acts. And people will look for ways to retaliate. Or not always retaliate, but at least target whoever did this. Presumably there’s no guilt or blame attached to an event of nature. In Turkey, for example, there was guilt involved. The reason 40,000 deaths occurred was because buildings were constructed far, far below standards so people were much more vulnerable. But it’s a slightly different situation here. The feeling of responsibility is like a bouncing ball. Many people will feel it, at the government level, at the foreign policy level, but also at the corporate level. An employer mi
