Blog Post #5 - To Act or Not To Act

Never have I come across a physical event where someone has needed immediate help. Although, I have to wonder what I might do in an event such as, a fight or a stranger in need. We'd all like to think that we'd be the one there to lend a helping hand, we'd take note of the situation and take action - but would we really? We've all heard of the "bystander effect," where people see and maybe even have a gut feeling that something is wrong, but fail to do anything to remedy this wrong doing; would we fall victim to this phenomenon? I believe this happens for a number of reasons; for example, sometimes people don't necessarily think anything of a situation until it truly resonates with them and they have time to think, "hey, that didn't seem right, maybe that person needed help." Other times we second guess ourselves. Things aren't always as they seem and we convince ourselves that we're probably just over reacting and everything is actually fine. Perhaps people just don't want to get involved, because is it truly your business if a couple is fighting and maybe the boyfriend is getting a little abusive? Finally, it could simply just be a lack of compassion we face in our society today; people are too busy with their own lives and caring about themselves to find the time for others. Whatever the reason may be, if it did turn out that someone actually needed help and you left them in dire need, could you forgive yourself? I'd like to think I wouldn't be a bystander, but I hope I never have to find out.