Heroic Folklore

In the past week, newspapers are flooded with hero stories helping find survivors in the earthquake, or those who died helping others.

There was a teacher in a county who guided his students out of the classroom to safety and then risked his life to get more out. Debris fell on him and he died on the way to hospital. What is also tragic is that he was supposed to start his honeymoon that day.

A colonel and his team managed to pull out 7,000 people from the rubble, only to find out later he could not save his 29 relatives who died in the quake. What did he do? Try to save more people than grieve. He felt it was more important to save another life so that one less family would suffer.

An airborne corps commander who led his 21-member team into a remote area found stranded villagers and led them to safety, even if it meant carrying them on his back. They encountered landslides and thought that might be the end of them. Some of the team wrote their last thoughts on pieces of paper for others to keep just in case, and he did too. But he ripped it up, determined to come out alive. And they all did.

Another teacher who, together with his colleagues, led over 100 of their primary school students with barely enough food and water on a long mountainous trek to the nearest town that took over 24 hours. The teachers kept promising the kids would get candy and ice cream to keep the students going, but few complained. Despite dehydration and tired legs, they all made it to the shock of rescuers.

What is most impressive is that many of these people sacrificed so much for the good of many. They went beyond filial duties to help others.

These people are true leaders. And hopefully we can all learn from their heroic efforts. In times of crisis, leadership talents shine through. We all depend on these beacons of light to guide us to safety.