The power of waves

According to The Telegraph today, Japan was warned more than two years ago by the international nuclear watchdog that its nuclear power plants were not capable of withstanding powerful earthquakes. You can read about that here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8384059/Japan-earthquake-Japan-warned-over-nuclear-plants-WikiLeaks-cables-show.html.

Neither life in general nor work experience in particular makes this news shocking. There are several reasons why facts and warnings are not taken seriously in a way that it results in a change of behaviour. How many times haven't we in Norway heard warnings about dangerous roads that require actions to prevent life threatening accidents  -  only to see that nothing is done until at least one life has been lost? In Norway last year, we also saw that a general director had to leave his position because vital information was kept from people whom should have been informed at an earlier stage.

Why are warnings repeatedly not taken seriously? Like I wrote above, there are several reasons for that. The main reason, though, is pride. My observations through life and work experience make me certain that pride is the real reason and the actual problem. Because it requires quite a level of humility to admit that one has not done his or her job properly. Pride leads to even less humility. It leads to anger and it leads to actions where one desires to get rid of people or routines that challenge one's pride.

I do not know whether or not pride was the most important reason why Japanese authorities did not take seriously the warnings more than two years ago. Maybe they did without giving them necessary priority. Whatsoever, I do not blame them. Of course, it would have been the best if they had taken the warnings seriously so that last Friday's earthquake and tsunami had not caused these nuclear problems. But like I said, I do not blame them. That is, I do not blame them any more than I would have a reason to blame others who have let warnings pass by. And I should not rule out the possibility that I myself some times have received warnings about things that I have not given necessary priority.

Instead, let us hope that what has happened will lead to a greener way of producing energy in the world. The most victims did not face death because of the earthquake but because of the tsunami. I hope that the world leaders within business and politics would see the opportunities in this. Around the world, we have oceans. Oceans generate waves  -  and as of last Friday no one should doubt the fact that waves can create energy! So why not take this seriously  -  and increase the research and development of energy producing waves.