1st paragragh:introductory
2nd:difficult
3rd:positive things for society
4th:conclusion

Racial harmony is national fortune
¡¡¡¡The writer is a visitor from China. He was greatly
impressed by Singapore's racial harmony and it prompted him
to write this article to relate his personal experiences
during his stay here.

¡¡¡¡One early morning at a busy road, an elderly Chinese
man ignored the "No Crossing" sign and hobbled across the
road, supporting himself with a walking stick. Suddenly, an
Indian teenager carrying a knapsack rushed forward and held
him by his arm. The cars on the road stopped and made way
for them. A potential disaster was averted.

¡¡¡¡That was a harrowing scene on the road, but it was also
a typical and vivid portrayal of racial harmony. At this
moment, that scene keeps flashing across my mind.

¡¡¡¡At the void deck of a block of flats, two Chinese and
Malay children were causing a ruckus, as they fought over a
toy and pushed and jostled each other. Their parents quickly
pulled their children apart and disciplined them. Then they
apologised to each other. Though they could not speak each
other's language, they smiled and shook hands, and the two
young ones also stopped their tears and broke into smiles.

¡¡¡¡In the supermarket, my coins were dropping all over the
floor because of a hole in my pocket. A Malay youth behind
me picked the coins up and returned them to me. He pointed
at my pocket and walked away with a smile. As I watched him
walking away from me, I kicked myself for having not thanked
him in my state of confusion.

¡¡¡¡I teach taiji at a neighbourhood park on a voluntary
basis. A middle-aged Indian man had been watching us from
the sides for many days. One day, he finally joined us out
of his own accord. Because we did not speak each other's
language, I found it hard to teach him and it was difficult
for him to learn. Those who knew English volunteered to be
interpreters. All of us ended up having a good time talking
and joking. Later, when he took his own initiative and
helped some Chinese newcomers with taiji, we were all glad
to see him taking it so seriously.

¡¡¡¡Although I had come across the above examples by chance,
they encapsulated a common truth: that racial harmony augurs
well for the welfare of the people and the well-being of
the nation. Just as it was true in the past, this still
rings true today. The situation in Southeast Asia today
underlines the value of racial harmony. Those living in
harmonious societies should therefore appreciate their good
fortune even more.

¡¡¡¡Having been in Singapore for almost a year, I have come
to take certain things for granted in this multi-racial
country. But on quiet reflection, I realise that these
things have not come by easily, and are of utmost value to
society. In our schools, for instance, students of different