Reality Shows

There is a popular TV show that focuses on the human condition and how we treat each other when we think no one is watching. The premise of the show revolves around every-day people who are put into situations where they must make a decision to either intervene in another person's life (who is an actor playing a part) or choose to ignore a situation that puts the observed person in some sort of jeopardy.

And alas...the entire spectacle is being filmed and the program host makes a surprise appearance in the midst of the chaos (with television cameras and crew in tow) to ask the unsuspecting observer why they did or did not offer assistance. Everyone has a laugh and a chuckle and then the program is over. But what when situations present themselves in real life and we are left to act without the auspices of being on television for the whole world to watch our benevolence? How do we treat one another when we have no audience to either applaud or efforts or chide or indifference?

Since the beginning of written history, there have been numerous philosophies espousing the importance of helping others because life is valuable and people matter. Whether you subscribe to Aristotle's golden mean, or Karma, or Hammurabi's code, or the Golden Rule in the New Testament, one thing is clear: it is important to help those in need. Ever since people have been putting reed to papyrus, the treatment of others has been a high priority in the scope of human history.

A friend of mine told me a story that gave me pause to consider what my response would be if I was put into a situation that required immediate action. He was fueling his car up at a local service station when he was approached by a man claiming to need a few dollars so he could put gas into his car. He was stranded at the same gas station as my friend, and needed to get from Kalispell to Polson.

Many of us have been in situations like this and maybe we've responded in different ways at different times. In this particular instance, my friend gave the man a few dollars and they parted ways. He opened his door, plopped into his driver seat and was immediately bombarded with advice and chastisement from his 13 year-old son who watched the whole scene unfold from the passenger seat.

His son told him it was a scam and that he probably just got taken for his money. The beneficiary of the exchange was likely going to buy some beer and have a good laugh. He was floored that his father could be so naïve and easily separated from his hard-earned cash. The rhetorical questions flowed from his son with such rapidity and ire that my friend barely had time to formulate a response before his son had moved on to the next verbal barrage.

After a few minutes and a few miles had passed, silence settled in the car and they just drove until they were almost home. My friend glanced over at his son and told him that there was a definite chance that the man at the gas station just wanted some fast cash and he didn't really need the money.

But what if he did?