Here's a Sight You Don't See Every Day

NMB, Florida January 11, 2002 A.H. Schectman

THINKING ALLOWED
Essays on Issues, Ideas and Reflections on the Times. Published Now and
Then. Opinions Pro or Con Are Welcome.

HERE'S A SIGHT YOU DON'T SEE EVERYDAY
Every once and a while something happens to mess with your perceptions of
the world. Your favorite stereotypes are tested because something happens
that isn't according to the script you follow.

Yesterday on the way to Publix (our version of Foodtown or Gristedes) I was
looking for a parking space. I saw two helmeted longhaired individuals on a
"hog", a very large motorcycle, suddenly stop and dismount and head into the
parking lot area - this was a space between rows of cars - fronts turned
towards each other - basically a walkway.

My immediate thought was that they were out to hammer on someone whom they
recognized and had been hunting. Their motorcycle was abandoned in a travel
lane so I had to maneuver to the side in the on-coming lane and couldn't
follow the action after they were midway in the walking lane. I saw their
heads bobbing up and down and thought that they were, indeed, in a brawl
with someone.

I had to park at some distance from the entrance of Publix and far from the
incident I just related. When I finished shopping and came out of the store
I saw that instead of mayhem, the two on a cycle were assisting an elderly
woman who had fallen. They were comforting her until the ambulance arrived.
They had picked her up and put her back in her car in a sitting position and
stayed with her until professional help arrived.

Now, that was a sight you don't see every day. My stereotypical
inclinations made me see them pursuing a victim. They broke the mold when
they, like good Samaritans everywhere, went to someone's aid.

The inclination to help is strong in most of us. But, most of us would not
have known exactly what to do and not do anything. Waiting for someone else
to pick up the burden is more typical of most of us. There is even the
excuse that we could be sued or prosecuted for doing the wrong thing in
trying to help. I have been lucky. The times when I helped things turned
out fine. Carol's Evaluation: 10 out of 10.