10 things to learn from Japan

1. THE CALM # Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated.

2. THE DIGNITY # Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture.

3. THE ABILITY # The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but didn’t fall.

4. THE GRACE # People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something.

5. THE ORDER # No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just understanding.

6. THE SACRIFICE # Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How will they ever be repaid?

7. THE TENDERNESS # Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared for the weak .

8. THE TRAINING # The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they did just that.

9. THE MEDIA # They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No silly reporters. Only calm reportage.

10. THE CONSCIENCE # When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the shelves and left quietly