Honoring Tsunami Victims: Lessons for Well-Being

Here is the video

From Khao Lak Beach, Thailand here
In this episode, I talk about the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed over 250,000 people.
In the video, I’m standing on Khao Lak beach in Thailand. It was one of the worst hit areas of Thailand.
In front of me is the Andaman Sea. Beyond that is the Bay of Bengal to the west, and the Indian Ocean to the south.

The tsunami was caused by a huge earthquake off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia.
The magnitude of the earthquake was over 9 (Moment Magnitude Scale), making it one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded.

The tsunami destroyed families and communities here in Thailand, straight across to Sri Lanka and India, and especially down south in Indonesia.
It was one of the worst natural disasters in modern history.
The people who died were mostly locals, as well as around 10,000 tourists. Around 50,000 people are unaccounted for.

Ban Nam Khem Tsunami Museum here
I showed video clips from the museum – the boats washed ashore 2 km from the beach, the waved wall 7 meters high that represents the height of the waves that hit Ban Nam Khem, and the fishermen's structure built to commemorate the lives lost in the tsunami.
The museum is a couple hours north of Phuket Island by car.

Ban Nam Khem Tsunami Memorial Park here
In this part of the video, I show the huge, waved wall and large Buddha statue constructed on the grounds.

The Impossible movie - at the Khaolak Orchid Beach Resort here
Early this year, I saw the movie "The Impossible."
It gives an amazing account of a family on holiday, when the tsunami hit.
In this part of the video, you see the resort where the family was staying when the tsunami hit. It’s also where the movie was filmed.
I showed the resort pool where the family was swimming moments before the tsunami hit. It’s the same pool you see in the movie.
It was sobering for me to be standing there.

From Khao Lak Beach, Thailand
When the tsunami hit in 2004, I was living in Boston.
It was headlines for a few days, then life went on.
It didn’t touch me or anyone near me.

This makes me think of the California wildfires earlier this year.
I know people in Malibu and Pacific Palisades who lost everything.
From what I could see, it barely registered with anyone here in Thailand.

I think all of us can get caught up in our own little worlds, unaware of what’s happening in the rest of the world.
We waste a lot of time worrying about what other people think about us. Our neighbors, old classmates, coworkers, relatives, and so on.

Recently, an old friend sent me an email full of guilt about events that happened over ten years ago. He was beating himself up.
I suggested he stop punishing himself.

Lessons for Well-Being
When we step back and see events like the 2004 tsunami, or those wildfires, it’s easy to see how petty our little dramas are compared to the bigger universe.
Maybe the best way we can honor those who suffered from the tsunami is to appreciate the gift of life.

For Well-Being, we need to remember to:

• Have perspective about how small and temporary we are
• Stop worrying about what other people think
• Don’t be hard on yourself.
• Don’t dwell on the past. Live life now.

Looking back today, we remember not only the loss, but also the love, compassion, and courage that carried people through.

Life is short. Enjoy it. And love yourself.

Thank you for watching the video or reading this blog.

Here is the video