True Greatness

Sometimes you get to see a huge contrast in human character and behavior. This afternoon, on my drive home from work, I had such an opportunity. A traffic accident had occurred, apparently some minutes before I came upon the scene. An SUV had been knocked onto its side, and an elderly man was trapped inside. His hand had been trapped between the driver's door and the road, and blood was evident. I didn't witness the accident, and I wasn't able to offer him any help other than to let him know that I could hear sirens and that help was on its way.

I felt helpless about the whole thing. So did, I'm sure, the twenty or so other people watching the whole thing. While we were waiting, some woman asked me if I had witnessed the accident. I asked her if she was with the media. (Anyone who knows me also knows I have a strong dislike for the media as a general rule.) No, she said, her husband "is a lawyer" and she, presumably, saw an opportunity to drum up business for hubby. Note that her initial concern wasn't for the well-being of the injured man trapped in the truck. Nope, it was all about greedily grabbing the bucks. I referred her to someone named Elizabeth Loftus. Wait until she discovers that Loftus has made a partial career out of discrediting eyewitness testimony.

I'm still filled with disgust for the woman and Hubby The Barrister. I initially felt that humanity had nothing good left to offer when I walked away from her.

And then, I was proven wrong.

First, the fire rescue arrived and began moving gawkers out of the way and attending to the injured. Then, on my way back home, the police passed me en route to the scene. And they were moving.

That's why I'm writing this blog entry. If you had seen those folks charging into battle when others couldn't offer any real assistance, or felt helpless to do anything, you'd have cheered them on like it was the Super Bowl. The sheer guts that must take can probably be found in less than five percent of the general population. Maybe in a way I was rescued today, too -rescued from my dwindling faith in humanity.

I saw the worst in humanity today in the lawyer's wife -but I also saw the best in humanity. I saw love for the well-being of people, courage under duress, and discipline and desire to restore peace and health.

I am a wealthy man, because today I saw true greatness.