Inbox

10 Ideas
Eric Klinenberg’s article in your “10 Ideas That Are Changing Your Life” package says people who live alone combat loneliness by becoming more socially active [“Living Alone Is the New Norm,” March 12]. It’s not that people nowadays want to be on their own; the real issue is that they are increasingly self-centered and individualistic. Meaningful and lasting relationships require compromise. So instead of paying this price for long-term and intimate relationships, people choose what is easy and does not require any real commitment, happy just to have Facebook “friends.”
René de Groot,
Olonzac, France

“Handprints” as a measure of our everyday carbon offsets make no sense [“Handprints, Not Footprints,” March 12]. Saving paper by printing on two sides? No — this is still a carbon footprint, not an offset. A Facebook status update? Internet use is a carbon footprint: servers use electricity and their growth is alarming. Is there anything we can do? If we’re honest we must realize that all human activity damages the planet. Sadly, it seems we are not meant to be planet savers.
Luke Perkins,
Haenertsburg, South Africa

Re “The Rise of the Nones” [March 12]: Seldom do organized religions preach freedom of flexibility, but separation is not the answer. Each time someone rejects a teaching at school, do they switch schools?
Irdjan Sulwan,
Jakarta

Japan Rebuilds
Thank you for your story on the anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan [“Japan One Year Later,” March 12]. The photo of people in black clothes and umbrellas gathering before tombstones in heavy snow captured the great sorrow and extraordinary resilience of Japanese people. Clay Chandler’s story mentioned the problems of an aging, male-oriented and insulated society. He also pointed out Japan’s political system and corporate culture as weaknesses that need to change. But the country’s mass media continue to be complacent in the way things are. In the months after the tragedy, many of us became fed up with the tear-jerking, unconstructive coverage by local media. Change is already happening in Japan, but it is difficult to find signs of it in the news.
Isao Shibata,
Tokyo

It is truly sad to see these images of our desperation one year after the disaster. One of the pictures shows a large tree that survived the disaster: it has become well known as the miracle pine. Japanese people found hope in that tree.
Tatsuya Kawahara,
Kyoto

This article gives us a gloomy analysis of Japan’s disaster. But historically, we have risen like a phoenix out of tragedy. We are still in postcrisis confusion over March 11, 2011, still have a dysfunctional political system and have yet to find a clear direction. But creating new prosperity out of the destruction of World War II is the perfect example of how Japan has always survived, no matter how grim the outlook.
Yoshio Kumagae,
Tokyo

Dilemma on Syria
The opposition in Syria is in a difficult situation [“The Debate over Syria,” March 12]. Shadi Hamid asks the U.S. to support the opposition, but as Marc Lynch says, “intervening will only help Assad.” A hasty decision to act like a messiah will intensify the situation and result in more bloodshed. Syrians need to save themselves by uniting their power against President Bashar Assad’s regime. External efforts to help will never be enough if the Syrians still standing on middle ground remain passive out of fear.
Glorianne Heng,
Singapore

In Hamid’s moving appeal for international intervention in Syria, he said the Turks, Qataris, Tunisians and Saudis all support military intervention. It amazes me how quickly Arab nations seek intervention by the “infidels” when it suits them while continuing to denigrate Western culture. Let the Arabs who talk down to us infidels band together, make some decisions and act to resolve the Syrian crisis.
Barrie J. Ridgway,
Cooranbong, Australia

Lynch writes that bombing Syrian positions to establish safe areas for the opposition forecloses any chance of a political solution. Is he kidding? There is no chance of a political solution. That is why we have a duty to aid the rebels, the only ones so far fighting to protect the Syrian people.
Philip Bailey,
East Fremantle, Australia

Does intervention in Syria have to be an all-or-nothing affair? One way to reduce the slaughter of civilians in Syria would be to send in occasional drones that would destroy some of the tanks and artillery doing the shelling. It wouldn’t stop the Syrian army completely, but it would make wavering army units in particular think twice before firing.
Tony Pupkewitz,
Cape Town