The Spirit of a Nation
by Senior Editor Wong Yang
Japan has its heart broken but not its spirit.
In this tri-crisis, we have seen the people of Japan fight hard against the harsh conditions, standing united as a nation, even after one of the world's greatest natural disasters happened. People queue up to receive food and to pump petrol into their vehicles, unlike other countries, whose people might loot and fight for food and daily necessities. We have seen many terrible images, but the laughter of children can still be heard.
My family and I have been to Japan many times, and have seen many friendly faces. When we heard the news, the faces flashed into our minds. Those faces were full of smiles, joy and happiness.
In Japan, everyone is ready to face an earthquake, learning the drill from young. Skyscrapers are built to take it. But now the big one has struck. Japan is a nation in shock, and in mourning.
The reality is that it will take a long time, maybe generations to recover from this tragedy. The black wave of the tsunami poured across the farmland, carrying cars along it like toys.The scene reminded many of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It looked like the underworld.
However, the Japanese will stand tall and rebuild. They will exhibit the power of "we" instead of the power of "me". They will stand united. They will fight on and support their nation for it to recover. They will persevere till the end.
We should all learn from Japan's resilience, their hardy characteristic, their fighting spirit, a spirit that never dies.
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