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文学城悄悄话提醒框： |
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Awakening call
The year 2008 has so far been a time of mixed feelings. The combination of sorrow from natural disasters and the excitement from the marvelous success of Olympic Games bewilders people as China once again becomes the focal point of the world. This year also marks the 30-year anniversary of the reform and open door policy which has produced economic achievements that have stunned the world. On May 12th, China touched people’s hearts as the strong earthquake devastated the remote villages in Sichuan province, resulting in more than 80,000 casualties. The grotesque pictures came as a shocking reminder of the disaster nature could inflict upon people and how vulnerable we were indeed when facing that power.
People’s reaction to this disaster varies. Many see it as a tragedy, but more consider it as an opportunity to regain a lost sense of unity. Since the 1980s when the economic reforms started, China has been on a fast track of economic development almost unparalleled in world history: a double digit annual growth and an unprecedented social transition that affects the lives of people not only in China but around the world. As a result of this economic prosperity, China has gained a great deal in international status and people’s living standard has also been raised tremendously.
Yet the part that seemed to be neglected in the whole picture is the gradual erosion of traditional values among people. It is only a slight exaggeration to say that in today’s China, when it comes to values, all that used to be solid has evaporated in the face of the hysterical binge of profit seeking and hedonism, and further all that used to be highly respected is now profaned. People are suffering from such a spiritual malnutrition as they struggling hard to find a home to solace their wounded hearts. After material success and physical satisfaction excited them, people were left with a sense of loneliness when soberness regained control of their minds. Perhaps the most fortunate thing we get from this unfortunate event is the need of a self retrospection on the question of who we are and what we will be. Facing the brevity and vulnerability of life, we are finally compelled to ponder upon the real purpose of our existence and the relation with our kind.
It is said this quake is the most devastating one in terms of severity and causalities since 1976 when the city of Tangshan of Hebei province was virtually wiped from the surface of earth by an equally strong earthquake. According to Chinese superstition, a disaster of this magnitude is usually followed by a change of a great scale. In the wake of 1976 earth quake came the death of Chairman Mao and other top Chinese leaders, a turning point in modern Chinese history where a new era started. If history indeed repeats itself, we might have the opportunity to witness a turning point once again. Could this be the time for people to have serious thoughts on the future of this nation? Have we a better future? What are the valuable things that have been lost and now need to be restored?
The courage and generosity demonstrated in the aftermath rescue activities showed a sign of hope. Once again a simple and often forgotten truth makes itself evident, namely that the survival and prosperity of a society rests upon a moral solidarity widely existing among its citizens. The wellbeing of the individual is the prerequisite for the wellbeing for all. One’s sorrow and happiness are inseparable from that of the other’s. Regardless of their gender and status, people must be treated equally and with basic human dignity.
The quake also revealed a picture that many find uncomfortable to see. The difference in the living conditions between the well-developed coastal areas and the poor and remote parts of China poses such a sharp contrast that one has a hard time believing they in fact belong to the same country. The fancy villas and luxurious hotels in large cities formed a stark comparison with the scenes of crumbled rural school houses built with poor quality materials. In a country where the Gini index has grown to an alarming level, the risk also grows that the underprivileged millions who have nothing to lose will one day storm the wealthy metros in revenge.
The Chinese government also realizes the importance of maintaining a balance between prosperity and equality, knowing very well that the lack of either would be a remedy for disaster. To build a “harmonious society” has thus become the dominating theme in today’s public rhetoric. Yet there is still one crucial part of the question left unanswered: what is the motive and driving force for people to participate in this campaign of building a “harmonious society”? Surely hedonism can not be the force, but what else is there, besides the prevailing “getting rich” sentiment, that can unify people to work toward this goal? Undoubtedly, a society that relies solely on force or greed to keep things going cannot hold together, let alone prosper.
Ultimately there must be a willingness for people to do what they see is in the best interest of both themselves and society. We can only expect the great multiplication of human virtue in a morally disciplined and ordered society where people realize that a decent and respectful life is after all not unworthy of living. It is with this sense of honor and grace that people can rally and make a society a humane one, a better place for all to live in. Otherwise, we may just all perish.
A sense of grace and honor, as shown vividly in the rescue activities, can only come from as the endowment of a higher power. If there had not been an ultimate authority on whom we have this strong faith, and whose intrinsic traits are none other than benevolence and love, all the good deeds and generosity would not have been possible. It is only too often for people to contemplate in a sober sense at this crucial moment the fate of his fellow beings, and to see changes in their hearts as they are helping others, and to even hope the rise of Angel upon the face of earth.
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