Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Promoting and Fostering National Spirit in Fight Against SARS: Commentary
The suddenly appeared SARS disaster not only calls for national spirit of solidarity and contribution, but also creates an opportunity to cultivate and enhance such a spirit.
The suddenly appeared major disasters are a test to the Chinese people, a struggle without the smoke of gun powder is tempering the national spirit. Under the staunch leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) with Comrade Hu Jintao as the General Secretary, the whole nation, united as one man in the fight against atypical pneumonia, has struck up a heroic song featuring the Chinese people's strong will, solidarity, dedication, scientific and realistic attitude and determination to overcome difficulties and win victories. This is a concentrated expression of the great national spirit in this struggle, it is a powerful spiritual strength for seizing victories in the fight against SARS.
Distress makes a nation thrive rather than constitutes a curse to it. In human history, only a nation, which has experienced the severe tests of blood and fire, and life and death and has surmounted various difficulties and dangers, natural and man-made calamities, can bring forth a great national spirit; only a nation with a great national spirit can be called a great nation. The Chinese nation is such a great nation.
History has developed invariably after experiencing one hardship after another, and humankind invariably marches forward with head high after solving one difficult problem after another. Over the past few months, in the struggle against SARS, people have naturally had the associated thought of the battle against the worst flood and the rush to the rescue in 1998.
In that year, in the face of the rolling floods that occurred once every one hundred years and caused terrible havoc to the north and south of the country, the army and people nationwide, united as one in will, defied difficulties, fought stubbornly, displayed a firm and indomitable spirit and dared to win, thereby conquering the worst flood disaster and writing a paean that demonstrates the Chinese people's might and spirit that can conquer mountains and rivers, this struggle added new content of the epoch to our national spirit.
The national spirit is at once a powerful spiritual pillar of a nation, as well as a spiritual motivation for the nation to accomplish a great cause. In the current struggle against SARS, our national spirit has once again displayed a tremendous role. In the broad masses of medical and scientific workers who, disregarding their personal safety, have been fighting days and nights or doing rescuing and research work on the frontline, people can see the noble spirit and heroic mettle of the army and people who fought the worst floods and went to the rescue in 1998.
In the battle against SARS, the broad masses of cadres and people in various trades and professions are experiencing the great cohesion of the Chinese nation and the magnificence and splendor of the national spirit. The process of resisting the SARS is a process in which we reinforce our confidence, and unite as one man to overcome difficulties, it is also a process in which we carry forward and foster the national spirit. The fight against SARS provides us with a battlefield to promote the national spirit and a classroom to cultivate the national spirit.
Preventing and treating the disease of SARS is a complicated social system project. We are facing a special battle symbolizing raging fire and rolling water. The cause of the dissemination of the disease of SARS has not yet been completely made clear, and conclusive evidence has not yet been achieved in the research on etiology, the characteristics of the epidemic disease have not been entirely grasped, there are still many difficulties in the appraisal, diagnosis and treatment of the disease, this situation determines the complexity, arduousness and reversals of the struggle.
We have achieved great progress, but the situation remains grim. This requires that we more consciously and energetically promote and foster the national spirit and provide a powerful spiritual strength for defeating SARS.
The fight against SARS is adding new content to our national spirit and raising our national spirit to a new plane, which will become a valuable spirit asset for us to build socialism with Chinese characteristics, jointly create a happy life and a beautiful future.
No matter what a complicated situation may emerge in this struggle, no matter how many difficulties will there be in work and no matter how many efforts we have to exert, we will definitely be able to conquer the disaster so long as we rely on the staunch leadership of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, on the solid material foundation we have laid during the years of reform and opening up, on the fairly good medical and technical condition and on the support of the great national spirit.
Let us jointly forge the great national spirit in the struggle against SARS; let the great national spirit inspire us to seize all-round victory in the struggle against SARS and proceed to promote the historical process of reform, opening up and the modernization drive, and firmly and unshakably realize our goal of building a well-off society in an all-round way.