The Unthinkable

We, human beings, are created with a series of particularities, referring to our body, mind and way of living. Some of these particularities are: tendency for the habitual, for security, for protection. In order to fulfill these necessities we do whatever it takes, but sometimes, things get out of control and the unthinkable happens.

Titanic was considered to be the unsinkable ship; it was made of iron and thanks to its gigantic steam turbines, Titanic could reach the speed of 22 nods per hour. On its board were traveling 2206 individuals in an astonishing luxury, having the inner peace and security that the ship is unable to sink. Titanic has become the symbol of human vanity. In the evening of the 11th of April, 1912 the ship departed from the port of Southampton to the destination: New York.

The ocean was quiet, the sky was clear and the captain of the ship, Edward Smith, increased the speed, in spite of the radio messages that was warning the crew about icebergs encounter. Little before midnight, on the 14th of April, despite the endeavors to diverge the transatlantic giant’s course, Titanic was hit by an iceberg, producing a serious side damage.

The crew started evacuating the ship, women and children were settled on boats, and after approximately 2 hours after the accident, the unthinkable happened: the unsinkable ship sank, having 1403 persons killed in the frozen waters of the Atlantic. Tragic.

Moving forward in time, we stop in the year 1986, on the 26th of April, at approximately 130 km east of Kiev, at the nuclear power station in Chernobyl.

There, a group of Russian specialists started an experimental chain reaction in the RBMK reactor. In the development of the experiment, the level of energy was carried down with 20% under the security limit. Because of the instability of the uranium, a strong explosion occurred, destroying the reactor contaminating the surroundings, the atmosphere and the community.

The fireman were so serious contaminated that they died after a very short period. The temperature of the magma reached the value of 1093 C degrees, while the radiation level reached the impressive number of 100 million curie.

The first Russian official statement announced the death of 31 people, 1000 injured people and 6000 possible cases of cancer in the following 70 years. This was not the veridical situation; at the Chernobyl nuclear disaster the number of victims was of approximately 250.000, plus the contamination of thousands of people, crops and air.

The specialists who did this experiment had to face the pain, the feeling of guilt and consequences, and they confessed they never thought such a disastrous event could occur.

We got closer to our days where unimaginable things happen: destructive earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis. Hundreds of acres of forest burn every year, because of the global warming, species of animals are disappearing, the traditional ways of obtaining energy are running out. We also run out of our security feeling.

Diseases took control over the Globe, diseases such as aids, cancer etc. Another unthinkable thing happens: parents never thought they would see their children fighting to have money so they could buy drugs, alcohol, no one ever though that poverty could reach such a high level, millions of people starving all over the world particularly in the 3rd World and thousands of people begging on the streets.

Until here, negative occurrences were presented, but human kind was also crowned with great success: technology evolved to an unimaginable level, scientists stating that this is not the end, it is just the beginning: computers gifted to do almost everything, internet, mass-media, incredible means of transportation (people and communication), the communism was abolished almost in the whole world, the countries having now the possibility to freely develop in economical, social and cultural directions, tolerance is growing, etc.

In conclusion, after all the events which came to pass, I think humankind understood the lesson: this world is not meant to last forever. We always have to be prepared for the unusual and learn how to live in this changing world. It is not easy to be open towards disaster and pain, but all these things are facts and we have to learn how to live in this imperfect world. In the end, we are not alone.