A World in Pictures

This image was taken in 2013 in Sichuan, after a devastating earthquake hit the region. The woman in the picture just recently lost her relatives to this disastrous event. She is going through a whirlwind of emotions- grateful for being a survivor yet having to live without all her loved ones.

In 2008, an earthquake of similar magnitude hit this region. Not only are the survivors having to deal with the rumbles left by this event, but they are also reliving a nightmare that happened not too long ago.

Plagued with scars - both emotional and physical - the people impacted by this catastrophe are left with uncertainty. Surrounded by rubble, the woman sits in despair, while also looking up towards what is ahead to come. She knows all too well that material things can be easily lost but easily replaced but knows that nothing can replace the emptiness left in her after losing the people closest to her.

This picture is a cruel reminder of how fragile life is and how easily one can lose everything that is precious to them. It is also a reminder to never end things on ill terms with another person. We really do not know when will be the last time we get to joke around, laugh, talk to, bicker, debate or laugh with the ones most important in our lives.