VIEWPOINT MAGAZINE Volume 5.1 October 2016 | Page 11

“Johnny
Smith:
Belonging”

Feature
“Worthy of
Worth?”

by
Josiah Watanabe

Italy: Rising From
the Rubble
by
Sarah Lee

-Pg. 17

-Pg. 16

By Gen Ha Park

VIEWPOINT
T

he region of Central Italy experienced a deadly 6.2
earthquake on August 24, 2016, and the whole country
immediately rushed in to help rebuild this area. The
existence of old buildings make this earthquake
incredibly threatening. Although some civilians left
this region, others refused to depart and bravely chose
to stay so that they could start rebuilding their homes.
This country provides a great example of what
teamwork can do, as the whole nation endlessly
worked together to rebuild the nation.
Despite the prediction that another earthquake
could happen anytime soon, courageous civilians did
not turn their heads away from their homes. With the
help of the €50 million fund offered by the Italian
government, many people started to put in great effort
into helping their neighborhood. A local doctor,
Francesco Nigro, used a big container to open a
temporary hospital to selflessly serve patients without
any charge. One day, an elderly woman in agony
visited him and asked for medicine. Nigro did not
charge anything and happily gave her the medicine.
When asked about helping his town, he replied by
saying that everyone in his town supports each other
and so he would never give up helping this town.
Despite the fact that there are so many altruistic
people, It’s unlikely that Italy would fall.
After seeing pictures and footages of this
earthquake, refugees from around the world

“Italy:

Rising
From the
Rubble”
by
Gen Ha Park

immediately rushed in to alleviate this situation. This
destructive earthquake reminded them of their home
countries in times of wars and chaos, inspiring them
to help reconstruct the destroyed area. About 70
Volume
October
refugees generously donated
2 euros5.1
every
day out of
what they received from the government. Abdullai,
one of the refugees from Benin, made an immense
sacrifice by quitting his job to volunteer in clearing the
area. This clearly shows that people who are not
native to Italy are willing to help as well. At this
moment, displaced civilians are currently settling in
tents as people from all over the country are helping.
However, if these kindhearted volunteers continue to
help, the victims would be relocated to their new
homes swiftly.
Although Central Italy was demolished by this
earthquake, brave residents chose to stay and firmly
start their lives again. As Thomas Paine quoted, “The
real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from
distress, and grows brave by reflection,” these
courageous volunteers did not get discouraged from
this situation, but worked bravely with joyful hearts to
help others. From their experience, they would react
more bravely if another deadly event strikes. With so
many enthusiastic people wanting to help out these
Italians like Nigro and Abdullai, displaced people
by and restart
would surely be moved to their new homes
their lives.
Amanda Angeles

“A

New Friend”
-Pg. 6

-Pg. 10
Layout by Amanda Angeles 10