Thank you for the lesson, kid

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By Op Rana (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-05-30 08:23

One's heart goes out to Cola Boy. His is a story that will inspire generations to come. He has lost his right arm but not his dream to become a scientist. And if his determination is anything to go by, he will.

Cola Boy, whose real name is Xue Xiao, survived for more than 80 hours under the rubble. He was sitting in the chemistry class when the May 12 earthquake razed his school building in the town of Hanwang, Mianzhu city. His survival story is all over the media: how rescue workers, Zhang Jianqiang and He Hongwei, fed him glucose water for two days, what they talked about to keep his spirits high, what is the deal they struck.

The devastating quake in Sichuan province has thrown up many such stories - of grit and valor, dedication and sacrifice. We know how a woman kept her 80-year-old husband alive by not leaving his side for 11 days. We know about the "most handsome boy" holding a drip bottle for hours to keep a classmate alive under the debris of his collapsed school building. We know about the silver linings in the dark story that the quake was.

This is not the time to ruminate on the negative side of our habits. Nor is this the time to analyze and dissect the actions of quake survivors and rescue and relief workers. For all intents and purposes, this is the time to celebrate the triumph of human will against all odds. But Xue's case is special for an altogether different reason.

Xue loved basketball. He loved having a cola, too. Nothing wrong with that - except that his love for the fizzy drink has brought him more fame than his determination to live and the endurance with which he suffered the pain.

It may seem quite natural for one who has fought off death to ask for anything. But when Xue called out to his rescuers Zhang and He: "Uncle, I want to have a cola, I want an iced one", he was speaking the language of the new generation, a generation that has grown up on junk food and aerated drinks. This at first instance may not seem scary at all. But - with due apologies - if we spare just a moment's thought, we will realize the danger facing this generation.

Nature kills openly. The deaths and destruction caused by tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, droughts, and hurricanes and typhoons are but short-term. Man-made disasters, however, have killed more people and caused greater destruction. What's worse, they are still doing it, and doing it silently. And if studies are to be believed there's no end to this process. The result: the more we live, the more we suffer.

The Cola Boy's passion for life is exemplary. The words he used to console his mother leave a lump in the throat. "Mother, don't be sad. I knew I would lose my right hand if I were saved." If this is not the triumph of the human spirit, what is? Xue knows that thanking Zhang and He for saving him is tantamount to belittling their effort. That's why he told his mother when she asked him to thank his saviors: "No need to say thanks between friends." Here is a 17-year-old showing the maturity of a wise man. And the fighter in him spoke when he said: "And I will learn to use my left hand to continue with life. I love math. I want to be a scientist."

But the wise, emotional, determined fighter has unwittingly become a poster boy for some products too. There is no doubt, though, that he deserves the fizz of life more than most of us.

Much has been said about the harmful effects of junk food and fizzy drinks on youngsters. We know about the obesity they cause and health risks they pose. But have we adults pondered why children develop a liking for them in the first place? Hasn't Xue sent out a message for us?

Or, do we take his call for cola to be natural? If we do, then we may be able to save some people from natural disasters, but none from man-made ones.

E-mail: oprana@hotmail.com

(China Daily 05/30/2008 page8)