ing his own life, as many normal people do. So he was heart—broken and didn’t know what to do.
A similar misfortune befell a girl, too. One night her mother, who suffered from chronic3 mental illness disappeared. So her father went out looking for her mother, leaving her alone at home, she tried to prepare meals for her parents, only to overturn the kerosene4 light on the stove, resulting, in a fire which took her hands away. Though her elder sister who was studying in another city, showed her willingness to take care of her, she was determined to be completely independent. At school, she always studied hard. Most of all she learned to be self-reliant. Once she wrote the following in her composition: “I am lucky. Though I lost my arms, I still have legs, I am luck. Though my wings are broken, my heart can still fly.”
One day, the boy and the girl were both invited to appear on a television interview program. The boy told the TV host about his uncertain future at being left on his own, whereas the girl was full of enthusiasm5 for her life. They both were asked to write something on a piece of paper with their toes. The boy wrote: My younger brother’s arms are my arms; while the girl wrote: Broken wings, flying heart.
They had both endured the same ordeal, but their different attitudes determined the nature of their lives. It is true that life is unpredictable. Disasters can strike at any time. How you handle misfortune when confronted with it, is the true test of your character. If you choose only to complain and escape from the ordeal, it will always follow you wherever you go. But if you decide to be strong, the hardship will turn out to be a fortune Oil which new hopes will arise.