I can recall several times in my life when emergency situations were in front of me. I would very much like to say that in each I acted to intervene and provide assistance. I did not.

One of the greatest regrets of and one of the greatest sources of shame in my life was failure to intervene in a non-life threatening situation. I witnessed a man beat and cut his girlfriend in my living room. Theirs was a habitually abusive relationship-the victim would turn on anyone who suggested she get out. So maybe there was an unconscious or pre-conscious idea that she chose this. I don’t know. I do know that fear was a factor in my choosing not to intervene.

I really do not understand this fear for I have acted against my physical best interests before and since to help. Hence this is a source of shame for me. Maybe it was the dope and that this man was the connection. I don’t know the answer to this.

For Christians, intervention is not an option, but a necessity. There are countless calls in the Bible to take care of the marginalized and the vulnerable. One of my favorite scriptures in the Bible, James 1:27, says that, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” This is a direct call to intervention in the world that all Christians must strive to satisfy.

It is hard to believe that 38 people could stand by as someone is stabbed to death but it is not the only time I heard of that happening. Last year I heard that about 10 people what a girl get gang raped and murdered on a school yard and did nothing. They did not even call police until it went on for about 20 minutes.  I can’t imagine just sitting back.  I imagine in those types of situations people are just to scared to risk their own safety.  I would like to think that i would be fighting and doing anything possible to help.  On a larger scale the world sat back and did very little with the genocides in Africa.  I suppose that may be because we feel that as one person we can’t do much in those cases that seem so far away.  Maybe their are some of those distant cases that we can do nothing.  If god puts us in a position to help i think we need to.

The fact that the story in the article did not surprise me takes me back a little. One one hand I read stories like this and I can only think about how incredibly selfish human beings are, and how when it comes down to it we all must realize that everything we do ultimately is to aid in our own gain. On the other hand, I read this article and I almost justify some of the people. Through the studies, we hear that people will often be more prone to help if the individual is in obvious signs of distress. Maybe, this woman just took it and didn’t put up a fight . I’m not trying to make excuses for what happened, just trying to analyze all of the reasons as to why this might have happened instead of assuming what many of the individuals who have not explored the depths of their humanity yet would say.

Although this sounds extremely negative and pessimistic, I just don’t think we can expect people to go out of their way to put their lives in front of another’s (especially if they don’t have something powerful to live for).

In Matthew 28:16-20, the section of scripture often referred to as The Great Commission, Jesus tells his disciples to “go out and make disciples of all nations.” In this, I believe we as Christians have an obligation to be in the world and show the world the love that Christ showed us. With “emergency intervention” research showing that man at his very nature has to debate whether or not assisting a stranger is worth his time, we as Christians should rise to the occasion of The Great Commission, rise to the opportunities to show God’s love, and seek out opportunities to help people who are in need. We should seek opportunities out in the world to let God’s love flow through us and through the work that we do.

I really appreciated reading this article and I find the 5 step model for an emergency situation important that I often sometime ignore.  As long as I can remember, I have always had a passion helping each others in need and being the Good Samaritan.  This passion drives me every day and is one of my main reasons why I would like to be a Physician one day.  Working in the health care field for more than 5 years now, I have understood the problems with being a Good Samaritan.  One of them is willing to take the responsibility for your actions. 
One day I was walking into Walmart and I had watched an older woman slip on the floor right in the entry way.  Watching people walk past her without assisting her made me angry and my natural instinct kicked in.  I rushed to assist her and assisted her getting herself to sit up.  When I began to help the woman, I asked her if I could look at her knee that she was complaining about.  Not knowing this woman had stitches in her knee from a recent surgery, I started helping her move her knee.  After lifting up her pant leg, I saw the stitches and told her to stop moving her knee immediately.  It is important to access every emergency situation, big or small, because sometimes you can end up doing more damage than has already been done.  I could have possibly torn some of her stitches and caused more damage.  I would have taken full responsibility if I did some damage to her knee, but sometimes we are not willing to take on that responsibility. 
It is important that we follow the five step model when assisting someone in an emergency situation, but I can’t help think that culture can have a negative or positive impact.  Growing up in a small town, it was common for people to do things for others or assist others in emergency situations.  But living in Nampa now, I rarely see this Good Samaritan action.  I believe why this occurs is because the environment I grew up in people were considered to be more trustworthy and I knew just about everybody in my town.  In Nampa, I don’t know a lot of people, so it would be unlikely for me to assist someone that I did not know.

This has been an interesting topic i have seen many times in news and stories. Yet I have always wondered why people do not react to certain situations. Then I would wonder what I would do in a situation like this. Hopefully different than what I have read. but its easy to type something like this out. But from what I have done in the past with helping, I totally agree with not being superman,nor being the good Samaritan in every situation. I feel that we look at situations and quickly decide if we can do this or leave it to someone else. Seeing people on the side of the road, you would think that they would be able to call someone to help or flag a car down. so you would just move on. I feel that could be done in a lot of situations, even ones were violence is used. In dire situations, I feel people who really want to help will and I have seen it many times before.

It fascinates me that people would make a conscious descision to allow others to take the initiative when in other circumstances, such as being alone, they would act differently. What occurs in the gap between the two situations? I find it contradictory and odd that in one moment we would allow apathy to overtake us and in another act in compulsive compassion. What in us reasons that passiveness and/or inaction is an appropriate response to injustice and other offenses? One response that comes to mind is the desensitization of contemporary society and degradation of culture. Through such means as the media, technology, and lack of appropriate council (e.g. parenting, teachers, authorities, etc.)

I find this very interesting to think about. It also sparks my mind of a study I saw where when someone is in a professional uniform, people are more likely to take direction and often times will do something unethical to appease the “person in charge”. People are mindful people who often act selfishly. This is very interesting because most would deny selfish tendancies. Something doesn’t add up in the end and it is the always existant ego of mankind.

This is an extremely difficult moral issue for humankind. Each of us likes to think we would have the courage and the love it takes to be the Good Samaritan in every situation we come across. I agree with Dr. Oord that we can’t let ourselves get too consumed with achieving this that we neglect our loved ones whom we are the most close too, however. And we are not superman, we can’t do it all. But I also find myself saying the same things as Ooard; “On the other hand, I know I sometimes give poor excuses for not helping victims of tragedy. I can rationalize my apathy. I can fail to help with my money, my time, my resources, or my empathy. The priest and Levite become my models, not the Good Samaritan.” It is an issue that tears at me inside when I really think about it. Which person would I be? I pray that God can give me the strength and the love to be the Good Samaritan when I am the one called to do so.

The idea that we only help those who are like us has been a long-standing idea in social psychology. Helping members of your “in-group” (any group that you associate with; American, Christian, business major, soccer player, etc.) is much easier than helping those in “out-groups.” This is what is so intriguing about Christ and his message; he was always calling people to go against their nature. It is not natural to love your enemies, it is not natural to give all you have to poor, and it isn’t natural to go out of your way to help those outside of your in-group. But when we do these things, it is amazing the kind of restoration and healing that takes place in the lives of both the people involved, and the people who merely witness.

This was a very interesting article to read because I have heard about this research several times. I have also hear about the research about the other occasion where quite a few of people were watching someone being victimized. In a one way it is partially understandable as human’s decision but I can not stop thinking that it is really sad to look at these researches being done and also thinking that I may also act as the some people did makes me feel very depress.

I think that many people decide whether or not to help in an emergency situation based on two things: their experience and the surroundings. In my experience, I have not done a whole lot of good in emergency situations, not because I cannot help, but because many times, I will avoid dangerous situations because I am a smaller female, so I don’t think I could do much in the way of stopping it, and I feel that many times, I would be putting myself in danger as well. On the other hand, my fiance is in the Air Force, has worked as a fire fighter and EMT and is rather intimidating in stature. If he runs into any problems, then he usually deals with them, even if they out him in harms way. The only time he won’t get involved is if I am there and he doesn’t want me to be in danger. I work with kids in the summers and have had to deal with sex offenders coming onto our property, and have stood my ground very well in those situations, so that is where the situational aspect comes into play. In the end, I think that if you can help, then you should, while still avoiding harm to oneself.

I had to ask myself if I would have done anything had I been a bystander as Kitty Genovese was murdered.  I would like to believe I wouldn’t have hesitated at all, but if thirty-eight witnesses didn’t do anything, what are the odds that I would have been any different?
There is a Good Samaritan Law that protects “good Samaritans” who voluntarily aid in emergency situations.  Many healthcare professionals, under the institutions they are employed at, are required to be good Samaritans in any emergency situation they encounter when they are not working.  I wonder how often that requirement is the only reason some of the healthcare workers give aid, and I wonder if I will ever find myself in an emergency situation basing my decision to help a victim on a policy or my humanity.  And would my decision be effected by the similarities or differences I may have with the victim?

I think the biggest thing that stops someone from intervening is fear or discomfort. While there are cases where people do amazing things to help despite fear or danger, I think it stops a lot of people. There were times last school year where I was in desperate need of help, but what actually happened is friends I had before became more distant the more I needed them. I think I caused them to grow uncomfortable. They didn’t know what to do for me so they did nothing. I can’t say I blame them. If put in a situation where I witnessed someone being attacked, I’m not sure I know what I’d do. I do know I’d be too scared to do anything direct. I’d call the police though. The fact that no one did that boggles my mind, as even fear shouldn’t stop you from doing that.

I remember learning about this bystander effect in psychology and its an interesting one. I try to put myself in a situation where I am one of the bystanders. In the example of the women getting stabbed to death I’m not sure that I would have jumped right in and try to stop the man, but I am also not as strong as the man. I would have called the police or gone and got help in some way or if that was already done I would have sat with the women and tried to control her bleeding until further helped arrived. I think if you see someone in need you should try to help them to the best of your ability, but you also need to protect yourself from harm. It doesn’t help anyone if you end up just as hurt as they are.

It is hard to not repeat what has already been said in the earlier comments. I think parts of Josh Siverson’s comment match most closely with my views. We each have our own strengths and weaknesses and I believe we should in accordance with those. When we see a situation we may not be the correct person to respond but when we are the proper individual for the job we should act without hesitation. I also don’t think we can respond to a large situation if we are not willing to act in the small situations.

To see the similarities that have in common with everyone - isn’t it the same as helping those similar in some sense? The Good Samaritan is an inspiriting story about that should be applies by human. But it’s a story and not actual realities. Beside if the world need to look for inspiration in Good Samaritan – then will people from different religions be able to relate to it?  Human are sometime indifferent and sometime care only about number 1/self - motivation also do comes in factoring whether one should help. This rise questions in is it ethically acceptable to love/care about oneself? Is love to oneself or to another a duty? Should the ethically minded person aim to love all people equally? Is partial love morally acceptable or permissible?

Reading this blog, I couldn’t help but think of a lot of instances in my own life that reflect the similarities of the different accounts listed.  There was a point in my Christian walk where I thought that I needed to be everybody’s savior and be a person that would help save the world so to speak. In every relationship that I had, I tried to be a counselor, fixing everyone’s problems as well as introduce Jesus to those who didn’t know him. This didn’t last long or turn out very well and I soon found myself frustrated and worn out.  I agree that with the blog in that in order for us Christians to not get into this particular state, an abundance of time and fellowship must be devoted to God. Seeking and praying for wisdom, strength and clarity help filter out unnecessary tasks that God may not be directing us to pursue.

I agree with the viewpoints presented in this article. At times when I aid people who are suffering it is either because I have something in common with them or I know them in someway. However, there have been times when I see individuals in distress and in my mind I think well there are a many people who will help them so I am not even going to try. I think this is something that each individual should reflect on. Although none of us can be a superhero and save each life, we can find our strengths that God has given us to help any individual that may come into our lives. For me, I believe God has called me to nursing and even now as I go to clinical I think of how I can impact each of my patients lives and possible save them.

I agree that people are more likely to stop and help victims that they think are similar to themselves. Last year I was driving on Overland in heavy traffic and saw an old man lying down on the sidewalk trying and failing to stand up. I was on the other side of the street and stuck at a stop light and had to wait to turn around. By the time I got to the old man, a young thuggish dressed male who was walking past stopped to help the old man to his feet but then continued walking away. I dont know what compelled him to help but he did. I was then able to walk him to the nearest business to call for help because he appeared to have a head injury. Ever since that day I wondered why no one else had stopped to help him, why I and the other young man had been the only ones to offer assistance. It was a very busy road and everyone had the same opportunities as me to help but they hadn’t. If I hadn’t stopped I would have felt absolutely terrible about myself, so I personally could not see why others had not done the same. Just as Jesus said “go and do likewise”, we were all called in that situation.

People in an emergency seem to panic and begin to think about themselves and how they can’t hurt themselves or someone else.  When a person see’s another individual getting hurt, the first thing that comes to their mind is if i were to go out there i would be hurt. I think this is very selfish but we all do this. In the neigborhood i grew up in not helping and minding your business is the right thing to do.

At first I found it odd that as humans we tend to evaluate a situation in which one needs help prior to stepping in, but as I went through the steps it made sense why there isn’t an instant reaction each time someone needs help. It sounds sad, but I can think of situations in which one would do best to evaluate their ability to help in the best way they could. For instance, if a person is walking along side a lake and happens to see someone drowning and shouting for help, it would be wise to know how to swim first. Not only would knowing how to swim be optimal, but also evaluating the environment. If it is in the middle of winter then more than likely both parties will suffer from hypothermia. I’m not saying the individual should not help, I’m saying that he or she should evaluate the situation and act in a way that will truly be helpful and not put the both of them in danger.
I found one of the results from the test to be very disturbing, it was the tendency for those to help others more like themselves. I can understand this, but what I don’t get is how those who are not similar could be left helpless. I believe we have to remember that all of us are similar, we are human beings and God’s children, it is because of these everyone should do what they can within their ability to help someone.

To see the similarities that have in common with everyone - isn’t it the same as helping those similar in some sense? The Good Samaritan is an inspiriting story about that should be applies by human. But it’s a story and not actual realities. Beside if the world need to look for inspiration in Good Samaritan – then will people from different religions be able to relate to it?  Human are sometime indifferent and sometime cares only for self - motivation also doing comes in factoring whether one should help. This rise questions in is it ethically acceptable to love/care about oneself? Is love to oneself or to another a duty? Should the ethically minded person aim to love all people equally? Is partial love morally acceptable or permissible?

This was extremely interesting to me. I like that you explained the research that was done to see why people don’t always help. It is easy to say that we stick to our selves due to our selfish nature, but in truth I believe that most of the time we just don’t know what to do or how to help.

Helping others in need is an important tendency all should strive towards.  When I see someone in need I want to help them.  However, I rarely do because of my limited resources in communal standards.  I am a jobless college student with no trace of a career path after college.  So I have to be careful with how/where I spend my money to ensure as much financial stability as possible.  I recognize that giving money is not the only way to help out others in need.  But at my young age I really dont have any other resources to offer.  I wish I could help out those I see, but its just not possible.  I just hope that one day I will have the resources to help out others who need it.

It is an intense burden to carry the needs of everyone you meet in life and even those you simply hear about. However, I do not think this is what life is all about. I think God simply calls us to love to the best of our ability and to continue to stretch ourselves out of our comfort zone. I am physically and financially incapable of helping everyone, but those around me that I can assist, I should.
Whenever I feel unsure of how I should respond to something I feel comfortable falling back on the saying to “imitate Christ in everything”- However He would respond is how I should respond to situations!

I remember hearing the story about Kitty and I have always felt the same way. Sad, and yet I can’t know if I wouldn’t have been there whether I would have stopped and helped either. I think I would because of the emotions that I have when I read it, but I can’t actually know. I believe that it is my job to love everyone the best that I can, in every situation. I also know that there is no way for me to reach every person, all I can do is try. I believe in helping no matter what even if it isn’t much. One part that caught my attention is when it was talking about reasons why people don’t stop and help others, the one about anger and being upset. I have to say from experience I know that this can affect the way that someone responses to someone else in need, I can honestly say that when I have allowed my anger to take over I have bypassed someone else that could have used my assistants. My goal is to make sure that I don’t allow my anger to go that far, and if I feel it is headed in that direction to stop and pray asking God for help through that anger.

The story of kitty is one that I have heard before. And every time I hear this story my heart breaks. I would like to think if I was in the situation I would have called no questions asked. But would I really have? This is something that I struggle with. If 38 people didnt would I really have done something. In a social setting when you don’t see people helping you are less likely to step in and intervene. I believe as Christians we are called to help the ones in need and I believe a Christian should always step up and help. This is easier said then done though.

Reading this article made me wonder about the model of my own life.  Like the Good Samaritan, I’ve always tried to help those who are in more need than me.  However, by doing so, I have sacrificed my own needs before my own, all in the name of selflessness.  However, because of this, I became both emotionally and physically frustrated, I still do sometimes even to this day.  But even so, I feel a huge pang of guilt within me whenever I fail to help someone in need due to my own needs needing to be met.  I know I’m only human and can only do so much, but it does still kind of hurt.

The story of Kitty is indeed a pathetic one.I wonder what she felt and what she was thinking before she bleed to death knowing there were people in the neighborhood and yet getting no one to rescue you. Another article i read talked about a boy of about 15 years seeing Wintson with a knife running away. If it was true, can a study be done in reference to the attitude of the boy who was in the book store? This is a wonderful article using the five steps involved in emergency intervention. i am very sure this will help me in my assignments.

For years I have wondered why people do not intervene in emergency situations like the one Kitty Genovese was victimized in. More importantly though, I have wondered how people can simply watch these things happen.

About two years ago in my home town I heard in the news a story about these two guys that mugged this elderly man when he was returning to his house from the grocery store. The old man was in his motorized scooter returning with his groceries when two punks decided to jump him. The old man was not about to give up his groceries, so the criminals beat this old man until he could not fight back. While this all happened in broad day light on one of the busiest streets in the city, people stood by and allowed these thugs to simply get away with this. Not a single person did anything. Stories like this and the one above anger me. I actually get pissed off hearing about how people will simply stand there and watch these things occur. It is just not right.

After reading this blog, I understand that there are five stages in interpreting the situation and deciding to act, but this should not matter. People may go through these five stages, but how someone decides to not help someone in drastic need is beyond me. I can understand why you may not help a criminal who is in an emergency with a conflicting gang member because you consider that it was their decision to put themselves in that situation. However, not helping the elderly, women, children, or anybody that is legitimately helpless is not right. I do not know if I am going off on a tangent, but I feel that people essentially have a sense of moral good, doing what’s right. I believe to not intervene in these situations is a matter of ignoring this innate quality of goodness.

As I read what happened to Kitty in 1964, I instantly began to think of excuses of why people wouldn’t help in that situation. What if people new they would be killed in the process? How would that help the situation? It is understandable for people to be scared in situations like that. I think I instantly want to excuse people for not acting because I feel like I have been sitting dormant in my life for a while now. I use to want to help everyone and my health and relationships suffered as well. I learned from this experience that sometimes you can spread yourself too thin and this really creates more problems than it helps. I agree that in order to react in emergency intervention or to help at any time we must pray and discern what the Holy Spirit is saying to us. Maybe that person that we want to ‘save’ already has a good Samaritan. I think we also have a hard time putting ourselves out their when we know we may get hurt. However, I think we need to remind ourselves that love requires sacrifice at times. There are going to be times where the most loving thing to do is to put ourselves in harms way and trust that God is there with us. I pray that as I learn more about who Jesus is, I will gain wisdom in how to love people in the best way possible.

Reading this blog makes me think back on instances when I could have done something and I didn’t. When reading the five step model for emergency intervention I can relate to a lot of them. Just the other day I passed someone who was stuck on the side of the road and he was trying to push his car to the side. A car in front of me slowed down looking like it was going to stop and help. Once I saw this I realized that I wasn’t the only one around to help this man out. This is the same as the third step in the model. When I realized I wasn’t the only witness, I made a decision not to help. I know that many people often say WWJD? When I read about being a good Samaritan and helping others that we see are in need, WWJD is often the question I ask. I feel like I have been given many strengths by God that allow me not only the opportunity to help, but the desire to help. I like what you said about God being a necessary source of power for all motivation for doing good and that every good gift comes from the Father. This shows that we are all given the tools we need to do good. It is in our hands how we handle them.

The story about the young lady is very sad and while I was reading this, I was trying to figure out what I would have done. I know that I would not have tried to go down there and rescue that girl because I know that I am less strong than the attacker, but I think I would have called the police a lot sooner. I would have been horrified for that girl and at the same time very helpless. Then I read further in the blog and you mention the cost-benefit ratio, which was what I was thinking what would the cost be of me trying to rescue the girl and if I called the police what would be the benefit. Therefore, I agree with this blog. I do pray that I can do something for the benefit of other without the satisfaction I might get from it. I pray that I do what God wants to me do!

It is easy for us to sit here at our computers and passionately denounce those who have failed to give help when it was needed. When the situation is theoretical or simply removed from our immediate surroundings, the idea of not helping someone when you have the means and ability to do so seems ludicrous. However, reality is a different story. Setting aside situations where one cannot act due to a lack of skills or immediate danger to one’s self or a loved one, people make decisions every day to stand aside for various reasons, some of which this blog post addresses. This is where the issue of love should enter. Instead of imparting a judgmental tirade from atop a soapbox, we ought first to look at our own choices and second to love not only the victims but also the onlookers who may simply need an example to help them remember what love looks like.

This blog was very interesting and I have heard the story about Kitty Genovese in a psychology class.  The five step decision process makes a lot of sense and and it is generally the rule but there are exceptions.  And it makes me wonder, what is it about those who help no matter the cost that makes them act as they do?  I think that it goes to show that people can still surprise us. Also I think that as Christians we are still subject to the 5 steps in deciding to help but they should not be the only factors affecting our responses.  We should be listening for the voice of the Holy Spirit to help us with these decisions.

It is shocking to read stories to where the victim had no help from anyone. It is even more shocking when we realize that there has probably been a time where we did not help out someone in need. Whether it someone in physical, emotional, or spiritual distress, we can find a place somewhere in time where we may have been needed, and have chosen not to be receptive. I find it hard to understand why as Christians, we are not more aware of the need all round us. I think we can apply the five steps to our spiritual walk, along with relationships with strangers, friends and family.

The need is not just visual, we shouldn’t have to wait until we see someone who needs helps, we should be trying to offer it opening in all aspects of life and already accept that we are choosing to help when help is needed.

I sometimes wonder why people don’t intervene in an emergency situation, but then I realize, I don’t always help when I can either. This blog made me think of an incident that happened at a mall in a big city. A young girl was being kidnapped and drug out the building screaming for help, and yet no one did a thing. The news reported said that the bystanders all figured that “someone else” was going to call 911 and no one ever did. The girl got kidnapped just like that. This makes me sad to think that this happens, but after reading the 5 steps I can see why it happens more than we think it should. I myself have encountered situations where I could have been the good Samaritan and intervened, but I didn’t. Instead of worrying about myself I need to trust that God is in the situation and will help me through it.

I think you said it well when you stated, “My goal, however, is not to let the tendency to help those similar restrict my decisions help. Instead, my goal is to see similarities I share with everyone I meet.” There needs to be a human response to the suffering in the world around us and we cannot be blinded by bias. While I think the five steps here illustrate much of what happens in crisis-response situations, there is still no excuse for there to be death and pain that goes without assistance when noticed. Courage is a fundamental feature of love and without the willingness to come alongside, we lack love.

I think it is easy for us to blame others for not helping in a situation, and then we realize we don’t help everyone in need either. I think the idea of having empathy for those like ourselves is very true, but I think the challenge should be to feel a ‘likeness” to everyone on earth. We obviously can not help everyone but with God’s guidance we can show as much love as possible.

I really liked this blog post. The indication that we are more likely to help those who are similar to ourselves is very real. Helping people you are similar to or connected to is a much easier than helping people you have no connection with. God calls us to give away riches to people in need, to love our enemy, and to show love to your neighbor, not because they are similar to you, but because they are creations of our God and are human beings. When we show this kind of love, it is almost always heals and uplifts the lives of both parties in a way that only love can.

I’ve been in multiple classes that discuss the cost/benefit analysis that every person goes through in almost every situation they encounter. If this analysis is an innate thing in every human being, the question I’d like to ask is “how does being a follower of Christ affect our perspective of costs and benefits?” When we submit to Christ, our will becomes His. Christ was always sacrificing His own desires and wants to help others and glorify the Father. It would follow that our view of what benefits us should shift to what will benefit the kingdom. This is a very nice thing to mentally affirm, but I do not think it is lived out in actual experience. I know that I am changing slowly, but I still find myself basing this cost/benefit analysis on my own selfish desires. What would the world look like if our perception of costs and benefits were aligned with the life and calling of Christ?

I really enjoyed this blog today. I really connected with this one, especially with my major. The emergency response and bystander effect is really interesting to me and I often have some of the same questions asked in this blog. I have read a lot of research on this topic and the results continuously intrigue me. It is said that based on the circumstance, men are less likely to respond than women are, especially if it is a woman who is the one who needs their help. The men feel incompetent to help in fear of making the situation worse or not being able to help in general. That makes me think as well. How safe am I and how safe are my surroundings? When and how should I help in an emergency situation. I agree that these are things that should be prayed about, but I believe that God will push me to help if I am in the right place at the right time to help. Plus, in an emergency situation, I do not always have time to stop and pray, as I just need to act. But the prayer definitely should come in other times and I should always be aware of who and when I am helping someone. I want to be like the Samaritan and help others in need and I hope that with my profession, I will be able to do that better, but I know that at time I too act like the Priest or the Levite. This is something that I need to continue praying about and see where God leads me.

As I was reading this I was thinking about my own experiences in helping others. At first I was feeling good about myself when thinking about a time when I was involved in a serious accident, and after assuring everyone in the vehicle I was in was ok, I was the first to check on the other person, who had bad cuts on her head from broken glass. I gave her my sweatshirt to put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. I felt good about myself for a while, but as I kept reading I also remembered a recent time when someone asked if I could spare a dollar for a hamburger, and I told him that I didn’t have any money, even though I did. I felt horrible after this. I don’t know if its because I didn’t believe that he really needed help, or if I just didn’t know how to respond. I felt selfish and ashamed that I could not do such an easy thing as getting someone a dollar hamburger. I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide me and help me discern when my help is needed, and that my selfishness will not prevail, even in the simplest circumstances. God called us to love our neighbors, and I pray that I can truly answer this call, and provide for those who are in need.

It really is too easy to assume that someone else will make the call or help out. In some cases either dire or small, I do have the feeling that my presence will not help the situation much, or worse, will actually make the situation worse. This can be a cop out way of thinking, but in some occasions, it is the right decision that was made. I feel a crucial element to this knowing when and who to help comes from listening to God. One of the instances where you (I) should intervene is when we feel called to do so by the Holy Spirit. We are constantly given an opportunities to help others and do the will of God.

I have studied the cost/benefit analysis in many classes and I have also discussed in detail the Kitty Genovese case. It is still difficult to imagine and know that most people are not willing to help others when it is plainly obvious something bad is happening. Another thing to take into consideration is that the five steps happen within a matter of seconds, leaving room for lots of error. It would seem that you could take your time analyzing the situation but that is simply not the case. According to social psychologists a large cognitive load and time constrictions lead to what is called a “naive scientist” meaning that the person will not analyze the content, and therefore only focuses on how they relate to the individual, and how the individual appears. This uses less cognitive load and less time, and if you are in an emergency situation it is easy to be a naive scientist when you don’t have the motivation to think critically. However, I don’t think this means we cant be helpful, we just can’t always be helpful because we don’t have the cognitive ability to always analyze in every second. If we did then we would always be exhausted and might make more errors with the actual analysis.

I agree with the five step process humans undergo when faced with a challenge to assist someone else. I find it interesting how unaware or self-absorbed some people can be at times. I do think that people have a good core, even in the most evil of persons, but I do believe it is very easy to become so caught up in your own personal circumstance you become blind to someone else’s problem. I think human kind has become a lot more relient on others, and in a situation of witnessing an event like Kitty’s I assume many people thought someone else was doing something to help her. There’s a mindset that if I’m not doing something to help, there’s someone else who is. We need to be more accountable, and assume no one else is taking action when it comes to a hurting person. I do agree with Dr. Oord, we are not superman and cannot fix every victim’s problems, but we can be aware of their problems and give them whatever we have avaliable.

It’s hard for me to wrap my head around not helping everyone. I know that I do not help everyone. But when I think about following the example of the good Samaritan or that of the example of Jesus Christ I do not see Jesus weighing pro’s and con’s, similarities and things that He has in common with someone before He helps them. I realize that we can help everyone in the world but I feel sometimes we let that fact run our decisions more than we should. I think we can help more people then we know. This is something I myself need to work on and from my experience of both walking by those in need as well as doing more than I initially thought I could, I believe that we need to realize we are all sons and daughters of God and with that similarity we need to help everyone we can and everyone that we see in need.

God calls us to help people. I really liked the 5 step process you described. I couldnt help but to think about what i would do in a situation where there are so many witnesses to someone who is in need of help and no one is helping, would I offer my help? I feel like this is a problem that comes up all too often. Not enough people are willing to put themselves out there, be humble enough to help someone who needs it, myself included. We are called to be like Christ, and Christ wouldn’t turn a blind eye to a child in need. So I guess i answered my own question as to whether or not we should always offer help.

This topic of human apathy and willingness to take a risk at the chance of helping others is always in the news and the subject of television shows. The first thing that comes to mind is the New Yorker who jumped in front of a subway train and kept a convulsing man down as a train speed above them. This was a very heroic act that the man received much attention for. However he had children of his own and people who relied on him. Would he have been seen as a hero if the plan failed both men died and he put the wellbeing of his family at risk? I think there is a humanistic emotion in all of us to respond with emergency intervention. While some jump blindly at the chance to help, others take the time to calculate the risks and what could be lost or become fearful of making the situation worse.
This is closely tied to the story of the Good Samaritan. I like how you pointed out how out of our control 99.9999999% of tragedies that occur. But those that we can directly impact, as Christians and as humans I think it is important to do what we can.

It is easy to judge the people and claim that I would have done something.  I mean, in such a dire situation how did NO ONE go to her aid? But then I think about the times I pass a homeless person on the street and do nothing. Is that right of me to judge them when I too do nothing? I don’t think that we can help in every situation. There are so many problems in the world and so many people that need help that we can’t expect people to do something in every single instance. I think what we can always do is show love. Whether it is a simple hi or asking someone how they are doing, that is an example of love and it is also not turning a blind eye. We need to be aware of the trials and pains of the world and be willing to love others through those times. Of course, sometimes actions need to be taken and the physical needs, rather than just the emotional or spiritual, of a person should be looked out for. In it all, we do need to learn to be a good samaritan and love others.

When I think about the story of the Good Samaritan I like to think about the reasons for each element that was spoken. Like how common was it for a person to be robbed and beaten on that road and if it was common enough why there were no patrols. Why was he not beaten to death but left to die what does that say to us about the attackers. Why it was specifically a priest, a levite and a samaritan all traveling on the same path and the reasons they were not robbed, where they more cautious or what? Its important to understand the setting and elements involved to better understand the motives for peoples actions.