Chinese displayed true grit and resilience in the face of tragedy

By Sava Hassan

Several weeks ago, China had to deal with several tragic events from the devastating Earthquake in Sichuan and its neighboring provinces to the floods in some of its parts. However, Chinese faced the challenge of overcoming the catastrophic circumstances with true grit and resilience. Every Chinese from all walks of life, young and old, men and women dug into their meager nest eggs to participate in helping the victims.

Going through the horrendous experience helped Chinese to discover the mold of their characters, the generosity of their spirits and the heroism that is hidden within each one of them. Newspapers were full of heroic attempts to save lives, bravery in its ultimate form, courage beyond human comprehension and above all resilience, aspirations and positive attitude.

One can't imagine going through the experience of seeing loved ones dying in front of one's eyes yet have the well to go on helping those who were fortunate enough to survive the collapse of buildings to be buried under the ruins. Police officers, army soldiers, government officials, volunteers and teams of rescue from neighboring nations ignored their fatigue to work earnestly and tirelessly in searching for victims.

There is no exact estimation of monetary value of the destruction caused by the tragic events. However, the loss of human lives from innocent children to old helpless seniors shall remain inscribed within the minds and hearts of Chinese generations to come. Babies were orphaned, men and women were widowed and siblings were buried alive. Nevertheless, Chinese surpassed the tragic events to continue with working hard in developing their beloved country.

Nowadays, one can see the pride alive and sparkling on the eyes of every Chinese. They proved to themselves first and to the whole world second that they can handle the mishaps of nature with bravery and courage. They affirmed their capacity to overcome tragedies. They displayed the glory of their ancestors in dealing with the hardships of life. The way in which they dealt with the devastating events entitled them to having the right to claim that the Chinese civilization survived for thousands of years and shall survive for more to come.

Chinese learnt invaluable lesson from the tragic events. They fathomed the fact that life is too short to waste it on dwelling on the misfortune of the past. They grasped the fact that progressing toward the future is an essential measure to overcome their difficulties.

With enthusiasm and vigor, they continued their preparation for the 2008 Olympics aspiring to triumph over tragedies by hosting successful games and bringing the whole world together according to the theme of the event, one world, one dream.

From Sava Hassan, July 2, 2008