Do you know who “Double Face” is? He is one of the main characters in the movie “Batman”, with half of his face burnt and become rotten, while the other half remains normal and clean. He seems to be a special character, but actually, every single person plays his role in everyday life. We all have both the dark and bright side beneath our hearts, and this can best be revealed in natural disasters, incessant wars and social unrest.
We are selfish but also selfless. Yes, we cannot deny that human beings are sometimes very self-centered and possessive, especially in wars. Many national leaders declared wars in their countries, only aiming at achieving and gaining personal respect and glory. They exploited their own benefits by sacrificing the interests of the civilians. Many publicists doubted that the war declared by the US against Iraq was a conspiracy aiming at gaining the oil resources instead of making international peace. The US government was ambitious and aggressive. This is the dark side of people.
However, facts can prove that human beings are selfless too. By reading the news about the 512 Sichuan earthquake in 2008, we can see the love, care and harmonious relationship between people. There were many rescue teams coming from different countries and working around the clock in order to grab the “golden seventy-two hours” to save victims under debris and rubble. We can also see selfless parents who saved and protected their children by sacrificing their own lives. All these touching and positive scenes made up a bright light against the dark.
We are also sometimes warm-hearted but cold-blooded. Although we may donate our resources or money to the people in need and show our sorrow and sympathy with our tears after the occurrence of tragedies like the tsunami in Southeast Asia in 2004 and the Sichuan Earthquake, there are still some cruel people in other parts of the world.
People can sometimes be very cold-blooded. There can be massive killing and massacres of innocent people in wars. The so-called “human bomb attacks” are common in Palestinian and Israeli region. The suicidal 911 Attack in New York in 2001 also showed the cruelty of human beings. All these evil behaviours bring out the worst in people.
Nevertheless, people can be vicious but virtuous. Usually after some natural hazards, illegal activities like robbery, smuggling of drugs and rape are serious. This is the vicious side of people. For example, after the hurricane in New Orleans, robbery of supermarkets and retail stores were serious and common, and people were fighting for food and daily necessities.
At the same time, the virtuous side of people can be revealed in some social unrest. Although it may be chaotic, the people joining demonstrations may want to uphold justice and to restore political rights and power to the mass against some autocratic rulers. This is moral and ethical to the local people, as they stand out for righteousness and dignity of people, and to encourage modernization in such countries. The June-Fourth Incident was a good example. The Chinese university students were fighting for the democracy of China and the dignity of civilians without any regret.
I think we cannot deny that we are all “Double Face” in reality. We all have our dark side and bright side and that’s why we are human beings. This is the biggest weakness but also the largest gift we have. All we need to do is to correct ourselves from wrong to right and to learn the right attitude towards life. Then we can magnify our brightest side.