A viral video shows a group of over 80 good samaritans forming a human chain on a Florida
beach to save a family that had been caught in a riptide and pulled away from the shore.
Another video from Florida—taken just one day after the rescue—sadly provides a stark
contrast.
A group of five teenagers saw Jamel Dunn, a 32-year-old disabled man, drowning in a
pond and screaming for help.
Rather than trying to save him or calling 911, they videotaped his struggles, laughing
and mocking the man until his very last breath.
The video was instantly shared around facebook, but Jamal’s body wasn’t found until 3
days later.
Across the country a woman slips and falls onto the train tracks in a Philadelphia subway.
A few good samaritans sprang into action and rushed to the woman’s aid, helping her off
the tracks and back to safety.
This was not the case one state over in New York.
An elderly man was bumped off balance and fell off the platform.
The man struggled to get back to safety while Bystanders not only watched, but they pulled
out their devices and recorded as the train approached.
No good samaritan was present on that day, and the man lost his life.
The news is filled with stories of injustices, crimes and tragedies, but the disturbing nature
of these events is multiplied when bystanders do nothing to offer help and instead respond
by recording the event on their phones and sharing it over social media.
There is an anomaly called the bystander effect, where individuals are less likely to offer
help to a victim when there are other people present; the greater the number of bystanders,
the less likely it is that one of them will help.
So it can actually be more dangerous to be injured in a busy train station than out in
the woods.
The bystander effect is such a powerful psychological phenomena that many states and countries have
enacted laws to counteract this.
The Good Samaritan laws were created to encourage people to step up and help someone who is
in trouble.
It is seen as our ethical, moral and legal obligation to help when we are able to.
Failure to do so can result in fines, lawsuits or in extreme cases, jail time.
The idea of the Good Samaritan is deeply ingrained in our global consciousness as an idea of
someone who embodies virtue and compassion.
And this idea has been around for over 2 thousand years.
The first Good Samaritan comes from a Bible parable in Luke chapter 10 verse 25
Jesus is giving a talk to a group of Jews when a lawyer in the crowd stands up and interrupts
Jesus with a probing question, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Which is another way of asking “what is the purpose of life?”
Jesus understood this was a test, and chose to answer the question with another question
as he often did.
“What is written in the Law?” he replied.
“How do you read it?”
The Lawyer answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied.
“Do this and you will live.”
But the lawyer wanted to justify himself, “And who is my neighbor?”
In reply Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan: “A man was going down from Jerusalem
to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers.
They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by
on the other side.
So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took
pity on him.
(This astonished the listeners for Jews and Samaritans despised one another) The Samaritan
went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.
Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.
The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper.
‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra
expense you may have.’
Then Jesus asks, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell
into the hands of robbers?”
The lawyer reluctantly admitted, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
This story is simple, yet has endured the tests of time for it reveals how to have a
meaningful life - treat others the way you want to be treated.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
The idea of being a Good Samaritan has transcended religious affiliation and has become a foundation
of what it means to be a decent human being.
Sadly, many people in modern society spend so much time staring at screens, that they
have become detached from reality.
When conflict arises, many people’s first reaction is to whip out their phones and record
a tragedy unfold.
And these tragedies are uploaded to the web for everyone on earth to see.
The misfortunes of 7.8 billion people are broadcast onto our screens for us to mindlessly
consume to the point where we become numb and disassociate these events from reality.
As a result, when real situations happen right in front of us, the conditioned response is
to record the event rather than try to offer help.
With all the chaos in the news and on social media, We can often feel powerless to affect
any change on a macro level.
How can your kindness and empathy have any impact on tragic events happening on the other
side of the world?
And the truth is, it can’t.
There is nothing you can do to affect the events you see on your screen.
The reality is, we can’t change the world.
But...we can change ourselves.
We have the power to change who we are, to shape ourselves into a beacon of good, to
do the right thing, be mindful, be kind, act on compassion and take the high road.
And if we all followed in the footsteps of the Good Samaritan, this world would change
overnight.
You may not be able to change the world, but always remember, you have the power to change
yourself, and THAT will change the world.
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
If you act on compassion when the moment presents itself, you will have a meaningful life.
Mark Twain said it best, “You’re never wrong to do the right thing.”
So the next time you see someone in need, don’t ask the question “Is this my neighbor?”,
the far more important question is, “Am I being a neighbor?”
Don’t be the bystander that stays in the dark.
Do as the Good Samaritan and you will move closer to a life of purpose.