Witnessing Calamity for 100 Years (Complete 6 Volumes)

Author: Cheng Yong (Compiler)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-06-01
Features: People's yearning and love for beautiful things stem from the rarity and difficulty of such beauty. They hope to enjoy this beauty forever and make it eternal because they understand that all beauty is but a fleeting moment in life's experience, one that cannot be permanently grasped. People uphold reason and seek truth in the hope of providing as clear an explanation as possible for the world, living confidently in it, and ultimately dominating an infinite world through human effort. However, the history of human civilization over thousands of years tells us that despite humanity's relentless efforts and perseverance, and despite our belief that we have glimpsed the mysteries of nature in some places, in the grand relationship between humanity and nature, all our efforts are but just beginning. The true world is always shockingly cruel and unknowable, and it cannot be altered by any human endeavor. The merciless roars of nature—whirlwinds, storms, floods, tsunamis, droughts, locust plagues, epidemics, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions—those nightmare scenes cruelly appear before us, mercilessly destroying our homes and taking our loved ones. More importantly, these relentless natural disasters strike suddenly, plunging us into endless fear and destroying our hope of living. Moreover, they always remind us in an undeniable manner that on this planet, in the vast expanse of the universe, humanity is truly insignificant. Yet, humans always work with hope to change nature and master their own fate. Humans synthesize various chemicals to combat terrible diseases, invent countless practical tools, build dams on rivers for power generation, construct giant ships to cross the oceans, continuously invent faster and faster vehicles to traverse distant lands, mine coal and oil for energy, and invent airplanes to soar the skies. Humans even travel to the moon and explore outer space. Humanity has achieved some goals and greatly improved its living conditions. However, alongside these efforts and achievements come countless tragic failures and massive man-made disasters. Even good intentions, the results of brilliant minds of scientists, sometimes plunge humanity into the depths of disaster: gas leaks, industrial pollution, train collisions, plane crashes, the sinking of the "Titanic," the explosion of the "Challenger" space shuttle, collapsed bridges, medical accidents, and man-made viruses spreading among humans. Every invention is a double-edged sword, both utilizing and conquering nature while also becoming a sword of Damocles hanging over humanity! Despite this, when faced with natural disasters, we always hope to see humanity as members of the same family, uniting to resist nature's encroachment for the common ideal of survival. But this beautiful vision only briefly passes through human memory. From just the 20th century alone, we have witnessed too many such scenes: the greedy people, the mad minds, who, for their own and a few others' interests, ignore the majority of humanity, acting selfishly, exploiting and robbing by any means: they start wars, incite riots, carry out terrorist attacks, engage in kidnapping and extortion, traffic in drugs, and commit murders. These disasters constantly occurring within humanity tell us that what truly terrifies humanity is not the power of nature, but humanity itself. The materials and images compiled in this book showcase humanity's darkest experiences and misfortunes in the 20th century. As we walk through the jungle of these chilling images, we should remind ourselves that, in the vast expanse of the universe, humanity and the planet we inhabit are but specks of dust. Therefore, whether dealing with nature or with ourselves, we should learn to curb our desires and adapt to nature to reduce man-made disasters. At the same time, we should learn to care for and help one another so that those in disaster may escape fear. Although this compassion cannot fundamentally change anything, it may be the only confidence and reason that supports us in living in this world.