Kino's Journey

[A Black Falcon]

Not to mention that they don't have anywhere to live and they don't have any food. So where are they going to go? They might try to make it to another country, but what are the odds that they'll be welcomed? Probably not too good.

First, you're likely right that the town might have to move a bit for a while, though that would depend a lot on whether the volcanism is a one-time thing or if there's going to be continuing activity in the area.

That's totally insane. Kino was standing on a ridge very near the town, where no lava went. Hmm, I wonder where they could go... erm, I have no idea! Let's just all kill ourselves!

It's really, really stupid.

And we're not dealing with a portion of a wealthy country with cities near the disaster area that are ready and willing to take in hundreds or thousands of people on short notice. There's no National Guard to come in and help out, there's no Red Cross to bring in food and water. They'd have months and years of hardship and pain to look forward to if they left. It was their country, the only one they knew, so they decided to go along with it.

These are not things that would stop a people from trying anyway. What you are defending is horrible and impossible to explain, sensibly or otherwise.

About the only case I can think of of a people who truly did give up and accept impending doom were the Japanese at the end of World War II... there the Japanese people saw that they were going to lose and many were prepared to die for that. But even there, many did not want to die, and did not want to only lose when many or most of their people were dead... unfortunately the Emperor was in the former group, so Japan did not surrender until America used nuclear weapons. But the fact remains, even in that extreme case it was nowhere near the ridiculous unanimity of that episode of Kino. Some surely would stay; some people do stupid things like that (like the people who stayed when Mt. St. Helens blew up, and died). But most or all? Absolutely not. Even some of the people in Jonestown had to be forced to drink the poisoned drink (that is, some were murdered and did not commit suicide)! And younger children were, of course, not given a choice. Killing your own children because of your own selfishness or foolishness... that is pretty much the ultimate in evil.