Whatever happened to being a Good Samaritan?

An elderly man was hit by a car and the people watching didn't go help him or try to stop traffic. People watched and drove by as he lied in the street, paralyzed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s4zAh3-HEE


There's a new trend for people to who witness a crime or see someone in danger to just stand there and not do anything. They don't want to get involved or are afraid of being sued or being subpoenaed into court. This is really sad. Whatever happened to being a good samaritan, to helping out a person in need, especially an elderly person?

Getting involved does not mean you have to go to court or deal with a lawsuit. There is a law that deals with this exact issue, which protects people who are acting as good samaritans. In the case of the elderly man, maybe you don't know first aid or cpr, but you could at least try to stop the traffic or get him out of harm's way. You could save someone's life or bring justice to a victim by just taking a few minutes to do the right thing. If you find yourself in this situation, remember, maybe you are there for a reason.

The deeper issue here is a lack of compassion in our society. There is so much pain and suffering that we see every day, that when we allow ourselves to care, it's overwhelming and unbearable. We feel helpless because the problems are so big and so many that there is nothing we can do to make an impact, so we cut ourselves off from caring and try to ignore what is unpleasant. Buddists teach that compassion is a virtue and should be cultivated. I am not a Buddist, but I believe this to be a universal truth. Even one small positive act can have huge impact on a person and can create a ripple effect that inspires other people to act.

I believe that in life we are given opportunities to serve and lift up others. If we let those opportunites pass by without acting, we may never realize the potential for good that we possess.