Chapter 37 Warmth after the catastrophe

When collective tragedies such as wars, earthquakes, and floods occur, people will see the truth in adversity and show a warmth that is rarely seen in ordinary times. In Britain, a group of people who had always been conservative and reserved suddenly became talkative and easy-going during the Second World War.Many Londoners had a strange feeling after the war that they had lived more fulfilling lives during the war than they had before or after.What they recalled was not only the danger, toil and destruction of the war, but also the warmth of everyone huddled in the air-raid shelter. The British sociologist Titmus said that he found that the British had undisguised smiles on their faces during the war, but he was really ashamed to mention that this was a gift of war.His observation is correct, because during a collective crisis such as war, the most noteworthy and commendable change in mass behavior is the massive increase in spontaneous communication. Strangers converse, exchanging war news or jokes.

This kind of warmth is also seen in sudden natural disasters and earth changes.Disaster expert Fritz said that after a catastrophe, the first thing survivors do is to find out whether their family members or friends are safe, and then a high percentage of people will turn to help others and devote themselves to rescue and repair work .In this collective crisis, many people have found a new role in life, gained the opportunity to prove their value in life, and experienced the fraternity of brothers and sisters everywhere.Teenagers who have nothing to do on weekdays and spend their days in boredom and frustration will participate in rescue and reconstruction work with surprising enthusiasm.People who are slightly injured in disasters are usually considerate and urge rescuers to help those who have been more injured.

Medical statistics also show that after catastrophes such as earthquakes and floods, the number of psychiatric patients decreased, the suicide rate decreased, the theft, robbery and fraud decreased, and the crime rate generally decreased. Contribute to the improvement of moral and spiritual life. Humans originally have a better nature than usual, but why does it only spontaneously appear in disasters?