The Small Changes Gradually Occur, While the Big Changes Happen in an Instant

Xuefeng

"The setting sun cast a magnificent crimson hue over the plateau."

Amidst the rolling yellow dust, shepherds herded their flocks back home, and wisps of cooking smoke rose from the rooftops in the village. The sound of human voices, barking dogs, and bleating sheep created a picturesque scene of early spring pastoral return.

Suddenly, the earth trembled.

Like a giant bomb exploding, a dense yellow column of smoke billowed up from the tranquil summit of Mount Sale. The livestock scattered in panic, while people, unable to escape in time, struggled to comprehend the disaster unfolding before them. The towering Mount Sale abruptly shrank in size. Then, the ground beneath their feet began to shift, causing the unsteady individuals to stumble and fall. In an instant, walls collapsed, houses crumbled, and village after village was reduced to rubble.

Halfway up the mountainside, a rolling wave of mud suddenly surged forth, roaring as it rushed down towards the valley.

People screamed and cried out, desperately trying to escape.

However, in the rapid downhill slide, traveling at nearly 20 meters per second, they couldn't outrun the pursuit of the grim reaper. Over 400 head of livestock and 237 men, women, and children from three villages were tragically buried alive.

The massive landslide on Mount Sale lasted only a few short minutes, and as the dust settled, the desolate wilderness returned to its dreadfully serene state."

This is not a myth or a futuristic science fiction story; it is a factual account of the catastrophic landslide on Mount Sale in Dongxiang Autonomous County, Gansu Province, as described by Mr. Zheng Yi in his "Urgent Report on China's Ecological Collapse."

Was it a natural disaster or a man-made calamity?

My home is not far from Mount Sale, so the news of the devastating landslide quickly reached my temporary hometown. To my knowledge, the general consensus among people was that it was a natural disaster.

But was it truly a natural disaster?

There is a profoundly heartbreaking true story that may help answer this question.

My hometown was once a picturesque place, but later, the government decided to construct the Liujiaxia Reservoir. This massive machinery of the state forcibly relocated us to a place full of gullies and ravines, where we had to rebuild our homes.

At that time, several villagers from our village were irrigating a field. My distant uncle, while irrigating, had his young son playing nearby. Within just two hours of irrigation, suddenly, the ground beneath where the little boy was standing gave way. By the time my uncle realized it, his son had vanished without a trace. He helplessly watched as a young life was mercilessly swallowed by the earth.

My uncle and aunt cried for three days and three nights.

Why did the sky (Mount Sale) collapse? Why did the ground sink?

The sinking of the ground was due to irrigation.

So, why did Mount Sale collapse?

Is it because the water accumulated by the Liujiaxia Reservoir seeped into Mount Sale?

Furthermore, the Mount Sale region has traditionally relied on nature's bounty for sustenance. Since the agricultural reforms and the remarkable transformation of barren mountains into fertile fields depicted in the "Great Achievement" of Dazhai and the film "Red Flag Canal," people have exhibited heroic determination by constructing irrigation channels on the mountainside. The Mount Sale region has also built terraced fields, redirecting water from the plains to the plateau.

Perhaps the "fragile" Mount Sale couldn't withstand the relentless human intervention, surrendering and bowing down to the "heroic" individuals who fought against both heaven and earth.

Otherwise, why would such a tall mountain collapse?

The collapse and landslide of Mount Sale were monumental changes, and significant transformations occur in an instant. This is what we call a big change that happens in an instant.

The Tangshan earthquake in 1976, the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in the United States, the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in the former Soviet Union, train derailments, plane crashes, car accidents, cerebral hemorrhages, heart attacks, and so on—these major changes all erupt suddenly when people least expect them.

In my article "Perplexities and Insights of Life," I wrote:

Is worrying about the future of humanity groundless?

Do you believe that the Titanic wouldn't have hit an iceberg?

The sun and the moon are always in the river, flowing towards the vast ocean.

But can they not suddenly turn into a sea of fire?

Noah was mocked for building an ark on top of a mountain.

People cheered when Apollo landed on the moon.

There's a reason behind every event; don't laugh without justification.

Wise people are anxiously working day and night.

In my article "Life is a Journey," I wrote:

Life is a journey, and at its end, there awaits a celestial gate.

This colorful gate will temporarily close around 2013.

Once closed, it will be hard to find its trace.

When Noah's ark wasn't yet sealed,

the world outside was still in a frenzy.

But once the ark's doors were closed,

countless beings vanished without a trace.

As the massive Titanic sailed through the ocean,

the people on board were filled with joy.

But when the colossal iceberg quietly approached,

the clutches of death took hold of their lives.

Whether you believe it or not, big changes happen in an instant.

Why do big changes happen in an instant?

It's because of the gradual occurrence of small changes.

Who has witnessed the growth process of plants? Can you see it by staring?

As people age day by day, who can see the specific changes?

The sun rises and sets, can you see it clearly?

Someone undergoes a medical examination and is diagnosed with a heart condition. When did it start? Do they know?

　　......

Small changes gradually occur, leading to big changes happening in an instant.

Do you have any further questions?