Disasters bring out the best and the worst in people.' Discuss.

It is in times of problems that most of us bring forth our strengths, in an attempt to overcome the problem that faces us.
This seems to be true universally. There have been countless occasions in which faced with overwhelming problems,
people have brought forward their hidden strengths. A situation in which many bring out the best in themselves is during a
disaster. Unfortunately, it is also the time which brings out the worse in people. It is amazing that the same dire situation
which brings out the best in one person brings out the worse in another.
When natural disasters strike they usually cause more damage and loss of lives than any man made disaster with
the exception of prolonged wars. In times of natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, volcano eruptions and famine, the
world is sympathetic. Almost all countries which can, help in anyway they can. Help can be in the form of sending rescue
squads to providing food and shelter for those in need. From this we see that the best comes from the people of the world.
They feel empathy for others. Fellow humans, even if they are far away from the disaster, are quick to respond. The best
side of them urges them on. Often what also happens is that the citizens and sometimes even the government officials of
the countries which are affected by the disasters become corrupt. They seize the opportunities to enrich themselves.
It has often happened that the items that had been sent to the victims of the disaster never reached them. They had
been pilfered by people along the way. Money which had been sent for use to help flood victims sometimes finds its way
into the coffers of government or corrupt government officials who then use them for their own purposes. Some of these
incidents, though vehemently denied by the officials of the countries have been proven beyond doubt. It is a shame that
the same sympathy that came from foreigners who had no knowledge of the victims did not come from the officials who
had been at the scene. The same disaster that brought out the best in one group of humans actually brought out the worst
in another group.
On occasions, people are not concerned if the disasters are through man made causes like war. Taking Bosnia as
an example we see that one group of people were being slaughtered. Somehow the other group who had been their
neighbours for centuries had decided to annihilate them. Yet a great part of the world did not seem to be bothered more
than to condemn the action. Even when the slaughter was reported all over the world, only a few countries were
concerned enough to clamour for action. Others pretended that the situation was not severe or that they were preparing to
step in. The same action brings out two reactions from two different parties.
Again, in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, there were thousands of refugees who chose to flee their troubled
homeland and take their chances in the open seas. A lot of countries were concerned and some offered help. Some
others refused to allow the refugees to land on their shores and forced them to continue their journeys of doom. No doubt
many of them met pitiful ends in the sea. Then there were pirates who preyed on the defenceless refugees. Many
refugees suffered untold sufferings in the hands of pirates
It is indeed depressing that the same disasters that bring out the best in some people bring out the worst in others.
(603 words)