The Fukushima Fifty

In modern parlance, the word “hero” is meaningless. Whiny idiots use that word to describe everything from sticking to their diets to overcoming minor hurdles to not killing themselves when faced with the slightest moment of self-pity. But there are real heroes in the world, and when we find them, we should take a moment to recognize them. We see this spirit in the Fukushima Fifty.

“The Fukushima Fifty” is the name given by the media to a group of between 50 and 200 Japanese workers who willingly continued working in the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant amidst the world’s second worst nuclear disaster in a desperate attempt to prevent a total meltdown. They are called "Fifty" because they are rotating in shifts of fifty to try to minimize their exposure to the radiation. We don’t know yet who these people are, but they appear to be a mix of regular workers, volunteers from other plants, and retirees. The facility itself has been rocked by fires, explosions and releases of radiation. Right now it’s in the middle of a meltdown, which many experts are calling both “inevitable” and “the worst case scenario.” Nevertheless, these workers continue working despite the high probability that they will die. In fact, many experts are calling it a "suicide mission." And they are doing this to save people they don’t even know. That is true heroism, and it has a long and inspiring history.

In 480 BC, 300 Spartans sacrificed themselves to save the Western World from Xerxes and his army of 100,000 Persians. They knew they would die, but they felt it was worth their lives to protect the things they believed in. In every war since, soldiers have willingly, knowingly sacrificed themselves to save their comrades or protect their countrymen, be it rushing into enemy fire to retrieve a fallen comrade or fighting desperately to hold off the enemy just long enough to allow their comrades and countrymen to escape.

The same is true of disasters. Indeed, it is at times of disaster that we see the best of the human spirit come shining through. Firemen rush into burning buildings and police put themselves into the line of fire to protect the innocent. Adults dive into rivers to save children from being washed away. When the Titanic sank, the male passengers and crew backed up their gallant words by sacrificing themselves so the women and children could escape in the lifeboats -- the band even played on until the very end. During 9/11, firemen and police ran into the Twin Towers, knowing they would likely die so they could save people they’d never met.

During Chernobyl, most of the first responders knew they would die. Not all, but most. Yet, they stayed at their stations trying to save the situation. They died -- many horribly, 19 died when their skin fell off. The helicopter pilots who dropped sand on the burning Chernobyl reactor were told they would die, but they went nevertheless. They all died as well.

The Fukushima Fifty face the same thing. No one knows yet what will happen to them. We don’t know if the radiation will kill them or make them ill or perhaps do nothing. But whatever ultimately happens to them, they have taken a stand. They have walked into this danger, knowing there is a high probability they would die, and they did it for people they don’t even know. That’s heroism at its finest. And make no mistake, they know the risk. Indeed, several have told their families they expect to die.

So remember this the next time some nihilist suggests that humanity is selfish or evil, or lacks redeeming qualities. There is beauty and nobility within the human spirit. It’s just sad that it often takes moments like this for it to come out.