By: Leena Khan
Staff Writer
Bystanders in most situations usually watch over or run away when a crime or something that is putting others at risk is happening. There is no reason why they should run away unless it was absolutely necessary. These innocent people watching from afar are just as innocent as the people who are in life-threatening situations. Some may argue that it is not their job to intervene when witnessing a brutal crime, but the right thing to do would be to go help the people in the situation or at the very least call for help.
There is a time and place for everything, and witnessing a troubling situation is one of those times one needs to act fast. This is where one’s “fight or flight” reflexes come into play and that is how they choose to act. In emergency situations like the Boston massacre, “rescuers commonly reported that they “did not think” but just acted”. In those circumstances, it either does more good than bad, or more bad than good. However, who knows how many more people would have died in the Boston massacre if those added people were not there to help out.
Intervening in a crisis is most likely to extend help when someone is at risk because that bystander is already there before anyone else. People with “military service, medical training, or even first aid or CPR training” should be the first bystanders to step forward and interfere with whatever is going on, especially if the people in the state of affairs are already hurt. Someone with this training should have the “fight” reflex.
Actions like intervening in a life-threatening situation is a direct reflection of how courageous people can be for risking their lives to help out others, even if they were just an innocent bystander.
Source Cited: The Bystanders Who Could Be Heroes
