Proof that living too long in Japan makes you fundamentally messed up

Professor Wilson to our art history class, in the prelude to his lecture about T'ang Dynasty artifacts: "Yesterday we had an earthquake. Now, I'd like you to consider the fact that we could all DIE in an earthquake. Look at this building. The hallways are too small for everyone to evacuate if we had a really big earthquake. We would just all die. Maybe we'd jump out the windows. You need to be prepared for that. Imagine it in your head -- what would you do if it happened? Every day for at least one minute, you need to contemplate the fact that you might die in an earthquake. I've seen people die in earthquakes, and they weren't prepared. All of your classmates might die. You might die. You need to seriously think about this."

Professor Kiyama to our Japanese lit class, as part of a discussion of the Battle of Okinawa: "Have any of you been in a disaster? Where like everyone around you was dying and you had to decide whether you would save yourself or save other people? I mean, I don't know about you, but if my husband seemed like he was dead, I'd just leave him and save myself. Anyone been in a situation like that? Hands?"