Wenchuan Earthquake

May, 12, 2008 is a day that Chinese people will never forget. At 2:28 in the afternoon on May, 12, 2008, a strong earthquake suddenly came to Wenchuan, Sichuan province. At that moment, Wenchuan changed out of all recognition, beautiful buildings became ruins, many people were buried under the rubble, and some lives instantly disappeared with the collapse of the buildings. The earthquake disaster of Wenchuan has resulted in a very great loss of life and property. This earthquake disaster of Wenchuan changed me a lot because it has helped me to appreciate life, family and love.

From this disaster, I have understood that life is so tiny, and it has made me more appreciative of life. I was so afraid when I saw the news on TV that the earthquake killed 69,227 people, 374,643 people were injured and 17,923 people were missing. Before the disaster, how many lives in the moment of life have been mercilessly deprived? At the same time, I also understood clearly that humans are obviously so small and weak in the face of disaster. I have always been aware that I am going to die someday, but I do not think I have ever really appreciated my life. Although I have never experienced a disaster like that, I actually began to cherish my life more than before. Over the years, I wanted to try some extreme sports because I thought that I have only one life and only one chance to do all the things that I want to do. I hoped I could try different things. However, accidents can happen at anytime and anywhere. Because I only have one life, it does not have second chance. Thus, I have begun to cherish my life.

In general, children attach to their parents when they are young, but since the earthquake I find myself more attached to my parents even thought I am not a child anymore. To be honest, I did not like this in the past. I did not enjoy spending time with my family and often went out with my friends. The earthquake caused many children to become orphans and made a lot of families fragmented. These facts told me that family, who are the closest people are also not always with me. Especially when we are growing up, parents are getting older. I recently started becoming attached to my parents and value my family. I think in life, the greatest success is having a family, the career and ideals are based on a family. As a result, when people are trying to spend time with their friends, I am planning spend more time with my family.

During the earthquake, there were many touching stories which made me understand more about love. I still remember one of those touching stories about how the firefighters saved a life. They removed the cement board and they were stunned by the scene--a mother was kneeling down with her hands on the floor. There was a three-month-old baby under her body, but the mother had stopped breathing. This mother used her body to protect her child, so the child would not be hit by the stones. She saved her child. The rescuer also found a cellphone from the baby's body, and there was a message written by the mother: "Dear baby, if you can survive, remember that I love you". What forced her to give up her life to protect her child? Was love; love is the most powerful force. In the past, I hated my mother's nagging and even argued with her a lot. Now, I know that mother's nagging is a kind of love for me.

The Wenchuan earthquake made people lose their homes and relatives, but the earthquake also let people harvest love and the true meaning of life. I have not experienced such pain, so I may not be able to truly experience the meaning of life. However, the Wenchuan earthquake let me know how to cherish my life and family better. It also let me know better the meaning of love. I hope to always cherish the people and things around me in the future.