Remember the earthquake that was felt across Central Illinois a few weeks ago? Even though some people slept through it, there were many people who found the slight shaking of the earth to be a source of entertainment. However, Monday served as a reminder of natural disasters and their ability to kill countless people.

Monday morning in China’s Sichuan province, there was an enormous earthquake measuring nearly eight on the Richter scale.

Fortunately, none of my family in China was affected by the earthquake. But I can only imagine how the hundreds of thousands of people whose families were affected feel. Reports say that as many as 10,000 people are dead and many more are trapped.

The terror, shock, and confusion caused by such an event is incredibly devastating. The victims of the earthquake simply had, for lack of a better term, bad luck and yet they paid dearly for it.

This is not the only tremendous natural disaster in recent history, and these calamities, despite their terrible death tolls, do seem to bring out the best in people. It makes me happy to think that at this very moment, people are actively trying to rescue those who are still trapped and giving shelter to those who lost their homes.

This earthquake was a terrible tragedy, and I sincerely wish that it had not happened. However, I think events such as these show a more positive side of humanity. A side that is willing to help their fellow people.