I sat for a while and watched him unsteadily amble away. Here's the paramedic truck and the still disoriented man walking up the street with his bike. Why he wasn't hospitalized for further observation is an issue directed to our health care debate. Clearly this man wasn't wealthy.
In the end, it doesn't matter what reason this young man was lying on the street. Be it medical or chemical, I still would have stopped. I refuse to indulge in Bystander Effect and won't live in the guilt of inaction. In part it may just be my nature, but it's also my lesson from the murder of Kitty Genovese.
It would be hard to imagine any positive outcome from that brutal killing 45 years ago. But if that murder has prevented Bystander Effect or Diffusion of Responsibility in those who were offended by the human failings that resulted in Kitty's death, than Kitty Genovese was a hero whose death may have saved many lives.
Author's note: I'm remembering another young hero today who should not have been murdered, and whose 30th birthday was April 10th. Happy Birthday Rachel Corrie. We continue your commitment to humanity and peace, and we wish you were with us today!
In the end, it doesn't matter what reason this young man was lying on the street. Be it medical or chemical, I still would have stopped. I refuse to indulge in Bystander Effect and won't live in the guilt of inaction. In part it may just be my nature, but it's also my lesson from the murder of Kitty Genovese.
It would be hard to imagine any positive outcome from that brutal killing 45 years ago. But if that murder has prevented Bystander Effect or Diffusion of Responsibility in those who were offended by the human failings that resulted in Kitty's death, than Kitty Genovese was a hero whose death may have saved many lives.
Author's note: I'm remembering another young hero today who should not have been murdered, and whose 30th birthday was April 10th. Happy Birthday Rachel Corrie. We continue your commitment to humanity and peace, and we wish you were with us today!
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