A thing or a person, when appearing at the right place or right time, can change your way of thinking, or even the course of your life. That is what I learned from the experience of an unprecedented storm that hit our southern areas in China.

I was fortunate not to be the victim of the disaster, and most of the information I gathered about the influence of the rare catastrophe, came from the media.

Recalling the storm, a series of striking pictures flashed across my mind: The hubbub of crowded people filled the station. Millions of people were trapped on their way home, looking very anxious and restless. Some threaded their way to the train, while others had to stay in the temporary tents to protect themselves against the cold because the traffic came to a paralyzing stop. It was a miserable scene. My heart was shaken! Facing natural disasters, how vulnerable human beings are ! Why is it that the labors, the workers are always the first to endure the hardships when unfortunate things befall them, they are the last to enjoy happiness? To earn a living, they have to separate from their families, and pray a whole year for the day when family members can have time together in celebration of Spring Festival. But now … I was ashamed of myself: I took all these things that I possessed for granted, like sitting beside the fireplace and enjoying all the luxuries my family has. I spared little time in thinking about the working people’s life and never realized how hard their life was. Many times I’ve strived for great expectation and was fond of competing with others. We all tend to show discontentment with our own status and pray for the best. I came to understand the ironic joke: luxurious men felt puzzled at the sight of miserable people struggling with such hard lives and yelled: “ Why don’t they ring the bell when their stomachs call for food?”

The proceeding days, many sights appeared on the screen in front of my eyes, security guards were standing in the floating crowds evacuating people and they kept the traffic in a normal state; Soldiers were going wherever possible to distribute food, clothing and bedding; electrical workers repaired the frozen electrical lines to ensure the normal supplies of electrical power …Those people gave up the precious celebration of family union and stayed in their positions to serve all the citizens with their hearts and souls. They brought comfort and sympathy to the affected, which lessened people’s pain and suffering. In this fierce battle between men and nature, even men were frustrated at not being able to do anything to fight the storm, only the universal brotherhood of man can sooth people’s suffering and make the world go around as usual. I perceive the strong power of combined forces and appreciate the dedicated.

Reflecting on the calamity, I found that it gave me a good lesson. It teaches me to cherish my life and learn to appreciate those quietly devoted man around me. Furthermore, it conveys us a truth ----one’s misfortunate can fortify one’s character and strengthen one’s courage to fight against evil. Last but not least, solidarity can make the loss resulted from unexpected disaster to the smallest extent!