In the past decade, people all over the world had a chance to experience the line – life is full of uncertainties. There were natural disasters such as earthquakes and famines hitting various parts of the world. There were man-made ones like incessant wars and social unrest caused by various political reasons hitting different cities severely. Needless to say, disasters and tragedies are undesirable, and to a certain extent unavoidable, but do all these bring out some lessons in life? My answer is yes. Disasters and tragedies bring out the best and the worst in people.
Tragedies, no matter natural ones or man-made ones, lead to casualties and of course economic losses. However, on the other hand, they bring out love and hope and are testimonies to close relationships. In the Sichuan earthquake, parents risked their lives to protect their children in typhoons. A husband chose to get back to the scene of earthquake to search for his wife even though he knew it was dangerous and his lover had most likely passed away. And in the recent Philippines hostage incident, the little sister sacrificed her life in exchange for her brother’s. All these showed us the love between family members and lovers. The love that people are willing to sacrifice for others perhaps is the brightest side shines in such tragedies.
Tragedies are also testimonies to the love between the less close ones such as friends and even strangers within the community or country. For example, the Sichuan earthquake that struck on 12th May 2008 led to immeasurable loss of human lives. However, the public response to this tragic event was remarkable. Chinese people across the country transformed themselves into various voluntary organizations. Food, shelter and medical supplies were sent to the quake area swiftly. Chinese people displayed their unity and affection instead of their every-man-for-himself attitude that was usually perceived by others. This tragic event brought out a unified and civic-conscious society even though it produced a wave of national grief.
The tragic event is also a testimony to the sacrifice of mankind, even to people we don’t know, to people with different races, nationalities and backgrounds. Many people all over the world were so affected by the image of destruction shown on TV that they left everything alone and went to help the survivors. Many volunteers risked their lives trying to rescue victims in dangerous conditions, though they had never met them before, without knowing their names. All the volunteers, including the foreigners shared the same goal and hope— to save as many lives as they could. The unity, love and hope, all the best qualities in humanity were shown in this quake zone and I believe this exceptionally touching scene definitely brings out hope.
Sadly, it is improbable that the horrific circumstances due to tragedies only bring out the bright side of human nature. At the same time, the worst in people can be uncovered. Tragedies display selfishness and even immorality. It is easy to tell that tragedies show the dark side of people. For example, many people are not bothered or not willing to help out when they face the natural disasters or accidents happening around. They may choose to turn a deaf ear to the sad news and watch the situation with folded arms even when they have the ability to offer some help. For instance, many tycoons may choose to offer nothing when they see that there is a lack of resources among the tragic people. These cold-blooded citizens show us how selfish humans can be.
What makes things worse? Some people take advantage of the chaos or leave on their own in disasters. The chaotic scenes in Haiti after the earthquake clearly show this to us. The United Nations food trucks were rushed by hungry people for food and water purification tablets while children and the elderly were pushed aside in the crush. It showed that morality meant nothing to them but to satisfy their own needs was everything.
The most saddening fact is that some tragedies review the iniquity o