That, I would argue, is the very time to be planting flowers. At the end of World War II he was touring war-torn Germany as a young aide to Ambassador Averill Harriman. They visited a family living among wreckage in the cellar of a bombed out building. Upon exiting, Walters remarked that he believed Germany would never recover from such devastation. Any people who puts flowers on the table in the midst of such misery will never stay down.
Flowers convey hope and rock gardens peace.
They, better than bitterness, strengthen in times of hardship. Others know that. The true value of diversity, in my view, lies not simply in statistically variegating the campus, but in learning to see the world through others' eyes, through others' values. Be grateful that our Japanese friends have contributed to our future and are preparing us a place of serenity, reflection and learning. See the world through their eyes.