'Beautiful' role models

Bus driver, Wu Bin, who tragically died in a freak accident, won praise for his dedication to his passengers. We should all follow in the footsteps of people like Wu, "the most beautiful driver", and Zhang Lili, "the most beautiful teacher", rather than simply lamenting society's moral decline, says an article in the Yangtze Evening News. Excerpts:

Wu, 48, was driving a bus carrying 24 passengers on the highway from Wuxi to Hangzhou on May 29 when pieces of metal smashed through the windscreen.

Despite suffering severe injuries, Wu managed to bring the vehicle to a halt and ensure that all the passengers escaped unharmed. He died in hospital on June 1 due to his injuries.

Wu and other figures like teacher Zhang Lili, who was injured when saving two students from an out-of-control bus, and Wu Juping, who flung her arms out and caught a 2-year-old girl who fell from the 10th floor of a building, have all been honored as the "most beautiful Chinese" as they've done what many others couldn't or wouldn't do.

Their selfless acts and moral strength have touched the hearts of many, because except for their moment of heroism, they were just common people.

However, while people always praise those who help others, there are also voices complaining that it is increasingly difficult to do good deeds because of the lack of mutual trust in today's society.

But whether it's difficult or not, beauty and conscience are deeply rooted in every one's heart.

Even though in some cases people may ruthlessly seek compensation from people that have aided them, the social consensus is now to help others.

Based on such a consensus, more people like Wu Bin will appear and trust and honesty will be better cultivated.

(China Daily 06/08/2012 page9)