What I Learned by Helping a Stranger Who Passed Out on The Street
What pushes us to help? What are the reasons or feelings behind the action?
Do I really need to do something? Is the other person really needing it?
The circumstances are there, what happened requires immediate action.
Someone needs your help. Will you help?
Right now, you can choose to ignore it or approach.
All these questions passed in my head last night.
A guy just dropped unconscious on the ground.
I analyzed the situation. Then approached:
His pulse was strong. He was cold as sh*t. His heart was beating fast and his breath was moving well…
After an unsuccessful attempt to wake him by talking, there was nothing to do other than wait.
I sited there on the ground and tried to figure out what could I do to provide value to his needs. This was when I realized how little I know about first aids…
Somehow, my presence there gave calm to him. And to me too.
I could feel his anxiety dissolving. Even unconscious, there was still some awareness.
But then, murders started to happen.
This very, very drunk guy approached from somewhere,
He looked down and started kicking the other guy on the ground while yelling in a foreign language.
“What the fuck is happening?” — I remember it to be my first thought
Spoiler: There are no murders in the end, just an expression.
It was just us there. At least this was everything I could see.
I was literally with a tunnel vision.
Again, choices were there to be maid by me.
Alcohol gives an illusion of potency and overconfidence to people. This unnecessary aggressiveness is destructive like fire, and I had to be like water.
I could choose to do nothing or to stand and confront. Adaptation is important in this kind of situations…
I stood up. Words started coming out of my mouth.
Snap back to reality. Oh, there goes gravity.
Suddenly all my values are echoing. The tune of my voice was smooth, still, strong with arguments and reasoning. The flow of thoughts is so fast that there is no room for weakness.
I was defending someone I knew nothing about. Someone in the ground, unconsciousness, in a place far away from my comfort zone.
And it was all by instinct. I felt fear, of course — The drunk guy was at least 2 times bigger than me.
But I kept talking even when my voice shook.
Things got a little better…
After a while, the guy in the ground woke up.
I still was not able to grasp everything that had just happened.
I cannot tell all the details from last night, mostly because It is just a memory now. One thing I am sure, this was an intense confrontation. I can learn valuable lessons here.
I can learn about myself just by analyzing what is now in the past. The important lesson I take here is about empathy and compassion.
I don’t blame the bully, I’m glad that I was there to help.
#Day 38
#100DayWritingProject
