Japan freaked me out, too, although if something like that was going to happen anywhere, Japan WAS the best place as they have really trained themselves from the days the small kids can walk.
That being said... Noone needs a disaster like that. The deathtoll has been upped to 10.000 now, I think. Plus the simmering nuclear plants... It is horrific.
Your mother's saying is a good one but to reach that stage takes time. Just keep chipping off the bits from the piles and you will have that. *hugs*