It was a bright sunny day on my army base, located on the shores of Netanya beach, Israel.
My day had been running smooth, when suddenly I heard a commotion coming from outside the dining hall I was currently eating lunch at.
I saw soldiers, officers, commanders and the like sprinting.
It was then, I noticed that the direction people were running was towards a large fire that broke out.
My instant reaction was stop what I am doing and run to see whats going on.
I started to run, I got closer and closer to the source and saw a barracks ablaze.
People were filling up buckets and dumping them on the fire.
Others were spraying hoses of water in the room caught on fire.
I of course got involved in the help efforts. Minutes later I saw a few young girls with green army uniforms approach the fire, these girls are maybe 20,21 years old and are commanders. As they got closer to the fire, I watched them realize that the room on fire was theirs.
Each one broke down in tears.
Some lost a lot, others lost a little, however all girls witnessed their room go down in flames with things sentimental to them.
It was hard to watch.
It was then that something clicked in my head.
Something I'm ashamed of.
My original reason for running toward the fire was to watch it.
Whereas I got the impression that the Israeli's ran toward the fire to help put it out, and help anyone in trouble.
I asked myself, why did I not first think of helping?
Perhaps I may never know the answer. But I tried to narrow it down anyway, I started to think back to my life in Canada.
I remember when I was 8 years old I was walking home with my mom. As we approached my neighborhood I noticed that my residents of my neighborhood were standing outside there doors. News crews, firefighters, paramedics, and police were on the streets, and caution tape was everywhere. I saw some friends of mine signal me over. The asked me if I had seen what had happened to Jeremy's house. I said no. So they took me on the neighborhood walking path located behind our homes. When we got to the paths end, we turned the corner. What I saw, Ill never forget.
An 18 wheeler truck was inside my friends home.
The truck had lost it's breaks, it exited the highway and went straight into my friends home, killing my friends mom doing laundry in the basement.
~
I remember in high school the fist fights that went down in the school lobby.
Masses would come watch, including myself.
The only people that would stop them were the teachers.
~
It's so cold in Canada for most of the year that looking back a lot of time was spent on leisure activities like watching action movies, fights on TV, and other indoor spectacles.
Maybe I became desensitized to all the violence and action.
However what is life all about?
Growing.
Changing.
Becoming a better person.
Being the best one can be.
& learning from every situation, good and bad.
I learned a great lesson that day.
Helping my fellow man comes first.
Life is not a movie to be watched, life is real, I must care more about others and take greater action when danger is spotted.
~
Building the path to greatness one lesson at a time.
LO
VE
Adam Ezekiel
That's a very interesting observation. I truly find that this is a mentality thing. Growing up in 3 different cultures I came to realize that there is something about Canadian mentality that likes to assume the bystander/observer role and would not get involved unless asked. I think that if someone came to you and asked you to come and help with the fire, you'll first think about helping and then about watching. Everyone here is waiting to be asked to help.
ReplyDeleteIt might also depend on how well you know the person who is in trouble and needs help, or what is your role in relation to that person. Here people dont rush to help strangers as much (aside from opening and holding doors i guess).
So I learned my lesson, and I ask random people to help me out when needed...cuz otherwise they'll just stand and look at you about 90% of the time without offering any help. There is the odd 10% that do offer to help, but hey you don't meet those every day and it's possible they grew up somewhere else too :P
Hi Adam - great blog. Thanks for sharing it. To answer one of the questions you raise: "why did I not first think of helping?", my answer is that everything has an order. Our Amidah has a certain order (praise, petition, then thanks); our Shacharit has a certain order (beginning with Pesukei d'Zimra). And our Passover Seder has a certain order (Kadesh U'rchatz etc).
ReplyDeleteOrder achieves a holy purpose. Similarly, the steps required to save lives and property also has a certain order. The first step is to run - "lech lecha" as it were - from a place of comfort, to the scene of chaos to assess the situation. Remember, many many people don't even run, they don't take that first step to see what is going on!
There was the story, I think it was one of R. Salanter's students - who was learning Torah and in the other room his baby fell off the bed and was wailing. The student did not move from his studying. R. Salanter said that to ignore a child crying like that means there is something wrong with his learning!
On September 11, 2001, at 9 am, there was only one person in my MBA class (me) who ran from their seat to see what was happening on TV. That was the first step which led to me calling my sister and brother who were both near ground zero, to making sure they were okay, to coordinating with family and friends to ensure everyone had information on where to go, what to do. No one else in that MBA took that first step from their cozy seats because they were scared.
It sounds like you have mastered the first step, which is to run and make yourself available. Now on to the next step of learning how to save lives and property. And what better place to learn step 2 than with the best trained army in the world! Lech lecha my brother!