Would You Risk Your Life To Rescue Someone You Don't Know?

[St Giordano Bruno]

I think it is better if I have had some rescue training myself before I take the risk and go for it. Like trying to rescue someone drowning at Bondi Beach when there are trained life savers nearby. I could just end up complicating and already bad situation and they have to go through the trouble of rescuing me as well.

 

[Caladan]

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Come on people get down off the cross, we need the wood.
I am a Father and Husband, my job is to take care of them, not die.
My priorities are my children and then my wife.

Thank God for more honesty.

 

[Dezzie]

I would want to save someone I didn't know... I don't know if I would do it or not though. In many occurances, fear will overtake someone from doing something like that.

 

[kai]

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Come on people get down off the cross, we need the wood.
I am a Father and Husband, my job is to take care of them, not die.
My priorities are my children and then my wife.

People do "heroic " things all the time, I don't see it as anything to denigrate,

I personally wouldn't think much of people who stood by and watched someone in danger of losing their lives.

Are you really saying you wouldn't help someone drowning or in danger of being run over, would you attempt to save a child from a savaging by a dog? keep walking if you hear a woman's screams? really i think its out of the ordinary to not act in such circumstances.


Many many ordinary people just act without self regards and help people he need help. you may surprise yourself one day.

 

[DarkSun]

You hear about these kinds of things sometimes on local news: Somebody running into a burning building to save someone trapped inside- someone they never met before.

Would you do something like that?

No one can actually know whether they would do something like this before hand.
Knowing something and doing it are two completely different things.

 

[Caladan]

People do "heroic " things all the time, I don't see it as anything to denigrate,

I personally wouldn't think much of people who stood by and watched someone in danger of losing their lives.

Are you really saying you wouldn't help someone drowning or in danger of being run over, would you attempt to save a child from a savaging by a dog? keep walking if you hear a woman's screams? really i think its out of the ordinary to not act in such circumstances.


Many many ordinary people just act without self regards and help people he need help. you may surprise yourself one day.

I'm a bit surprised kai, both you and me served in zones of conflict, we know its a daily horror and tension, we aren't talking about warding off a rapist, or a bully or even jumping into a river, but running into a burning building, tell me in all seriousness, how many people would do that out of the general population? the minute you feel the heat of the flames, its game over.

 

[kai]

I'm a bit surprised kai, both you and me served in zones of conflict, we know its a daily horror and tension, we aren't talking about warding off a rapist, or a bully or even jumping into a river, but running into a burning building, tell me in all seriousness, how many people would do that out of the general population? the minute you feel the heat of the flames, its game over.

Hi Caladan

I am not really talking about people in the services who are trained to do certain things that most sane people wouldn't do lol, i am talking about the instinct people have to help others , its not in everyone but i genuinely think more people than you think would attempt save a child or come to the aid of someone being attacked.

Whether its a burning building or a jumping into a river there are people that do it, people without training , only last week some bystanders captured a mugger in my town.

Maybe my view of human nature isn't as jaded as it should be considering the stuff i have seen people do to each other but seriously i wouldn't hesitate to try and save someone in mortal danger or i couldn't look at myself in the mirror each morning i was kind of brought up the old fashioned way seeing at part of being a man not a mouse.

And of course there's a thin line between bravery and stupidity you could very well be putting someone else's life at risk by entering a badly burning building i mean someone might have to come in and try and save the would be saver.

 

[Caladan]

Hi Caladan

I am not really talking about people in the services who are trained to do certain things that most sane people wouldn't do lol, i am talking about the instinct people have to help others , its not in everyone but i genuinely think more people than you think would attempt save a child or come to the aid of someone being attacked.

Whether its a burning building or a jumping into a river there are people that do it, people without training , only last week some bystanders captured a mugger in my town.

Maybe my view of human nature isn't as jaded as it should be considering the stuff i have seen people do to each other but seriously i wouldn't hesitate to try and save someone in mortal danger or i couldn't look at myself in the mirror each morning i was kind of brought up the old fashioned way seeing at part of being a man not a mouse.

And of course there's a thin line between bravery and stupidity you could very well be putting someone else's life at risk by entering a badly burning building i mean someone might have to come in and try and save the would be saver.

Catching muggers is easy business, out of all the heroes in this thread who say they would run into the flames, I will easily dismiss them all, and respect those who say they have too much to lose, like a husband or a wife. I would wait for the fire department to do its work, and just eat my heart out for the poor ******** in the building. heroes usually only come in the way of the men at work, like fire fighters. the best you can do in this case is use your cell to double check they've been called.

 

[sandandfoam]

I remember a case here a few years ago where a guy got into trouble off a beach. 2 by-standers attempted to rescue him and both drowned. Sobering.
If I saw someone in trouble I would get a life belt, call help - I'd do what I could. But like EtuMalku above I wouldn't die for a stranger because I have too many people to live for.

 

[kai]

Catching muggers is easy business, out of all the heroes in this thread who say they would run into the flames, I will easily dismiss them all, and respect those who say they have too much to lose, like a husband or a wife. I would wait for the fire department to do its work, and just eat my heart out for the poor ******** in the building. heroes usually only come in the way of the men at work, life fire fighters. the best you can do in this case is use your cell to double check they've been called.

Oh i totally agree, foolhardiness will only put others at risk.

 

[Nerthus]

I think it would depend on what it was. If someone was falling down a mountain, then I would attempt to help them. But, if they were kidnapped by some terrorists, I would go in and try to rescue them.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Are you really saying you wouldn't help someone drowning or in danger of being run over, would you attempt to save a child from a savaging by a dog? keep walking if you hear a woman's screams? really i think its out of the ordinary to not act in such circumstances.

I've been surprised by how much we're subject to herd mentality. Every person who doesn't stop to help makes it more likely that the next person won't help either.

A few years back, I came across a car on fire on the side of the road. I stopped to help, but the fire was already too big - I dumped my whole fire extinguisher into it, but it wasn't enough to actually put it out.

As I stood there with nothing else to put out the fire, just waiting for the fire department to arrive, everybody drove by. Not one person stopped to help or even to see that everyone was all right until an off-duty fire chief did stop... but by that point, the fire was way beyond putting out with handheld extinguishers.

When I had first arrived, it was a moderate engine fire. Serious, but not so severe that the car would be a write-off. By the time the fire trucks arrived, the car was destroyed.

And it wasn't because we had a lack of people that could help - this was on one of the busiest highways in Canada. Thousands of people drove by that fire and only two people stopped to help.

 

[sandandfoam]

I've been surprised by how much we're subject to herd mentality. Every person who doesn't stop to help makes it more likely that the next person won't help either.

A few years back, I came across a car on fire on the side of the road. I stopped to help, but the fire was already too big - I dumped my whole fire extinguisher into it, but it wasn't enough to actually put it out.

As I stood there with nothing else to put out the fire, just waiting for the fire department to arrive, everybody drove by. Not one person stopped to help or even to see that everyone was all right until an off-duty fire chief did stop... but by that point, the fire was way beyond putting out with handheld extinguishers.

When I had first arrived, it was a moderate engine fire. Serious, but not so severe that the car would be a write-off. By the time the fire trucks arrived, the car was destroyed.

And it wasn't because we had a lack of people that could help - this was on one of the busiest highways in Canada. Thousands of people drove by that fire and only two people stopped to help.

Yup, you're right.

Bystander effect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[St Giordano Bruno]

I think the medal for bravery would be a nice touch.

 

[ellenjanuary]

You hear about these kinds of things sometimes on local news: Somebody running into a burning building to save someone trapped inside- someone they never met before.

Would you do something like that?

Sitting here, with time to think about it? I'd have to say, no. In the real world, there's evil things like lawyers... I've heard of professionals talk about being hesitant to use life-saving procedures due to risk of lawsuit. Nice country we live in.

That said, have I stuck my neck out in the past? Oh, yeah. I'm surprised I still have a neck. I may be sarcastic and cynical, but I'm basically a creature of love. And that love stuff will kill ya.

 

[BeckyRose1998]

I would probably risk my life to save someone I don't know because I'm just a nice person and that's the thing, in my mind, to do.

 

[Renji]

I would probably risk my life to save someone I don't know because I'm just a nice person and that's the thing, in my mind, to do.

Maybe it also depends on the situation too....

 

[Penumbra]

I think most of you don't understand the sheer gripping horror of these types of situations, there are no real heroes in the real world, and certainly no glamor in these types of situations.
for a soldier to get shot at for the first time, no matter how much training he got, the shock is devastating, running into a burning building is the same, so much more for people with no training as the men in the fire department, take a look at the photos of the American men of the fire department in Sept 11, no matter how tough they may seem, or how much experience they have, these men were broken.

I'm not sure where you get your information that there are no real heroes in this world. Some people really do jump into freezing lakes or take bullets for people. It happens.

Given that it does happen, there's a good possibility that a subset of responders in this thread would do as they say.

 

[BeckyRose1998]

Maybe it also depends on the situation too....

yeah true....:rainbow1:

 

[Sunstone]

When I was younger I was both willing and sometimes did risk my life for others. I don't know how I feel about it now. I would need to be in that sort of situation and see what I did to really know.