The world is not that bad, its just that human lives got increased value over the years, if a few hundred die now it makes the headlines. Dunno exactly how many thousands died in Japan but I'm sure it doesn't compare to the plague in Medieval times or even the Spanish flu in the beginning of the 20th century. Only a hundred years ago 20-100 million died. This earth has seen a lot worse, the difference is we care now and that the whole world knows about it in minutes.
And what do we expect in a world with a continously growing population. This planet can sustain only a limited amount of people. If we dont decrease those numbers, war or nature will do it in a probably gruesome way. Or we should find another planet to live, but we all know thats not going to happen.