Hollywood or Small Neighborhood: Lend YOUR Hand to those in Distress

Lately I have been hearing a lot of stories about celebrities doing good deeds. Although some people think the stories are false, and they very well could be, at least they show something positive coming out of Hollywood. In my last post I talked about what people consider a good samaritan to be, and gave some example stories on the subject. Now even if you are thinking that celebrities are just doing these nice things to boost their fame and status, you still can't admit that you would rather hear about their horrible drug overdoses or their latest trip to rehab than stories of them actually helping others.

Last time, I talked about a story I read involving a bike rider, who witnessed a horrible bicycle-automobile accident. But, instead of leaving it to others to help the injured woman, he quickly rushed to their assistance by calling 911 and taking the important job of directing traffic around the scene. This is a perfect example of a good samaritan, because the man clearly went out of his way to help another in need.
In fact this story reminds me of a time when I was younger, and I was walking with my family on the boardwalk down at the Jersey shore. We were just passing a huge lavishly decorated Christmas store when the woman walking in front of us just collapsed, falling face foward onto the hard boardwalk. It was a time when cell phones weren't as popular yet, but luckily my Poppop had one; so being the caring man that he is, he ran to their assistance to let them know he was dialing 911. Once they reassured that an ambulance was on its way, I noticed from hiding behind my mom's leg that my Poppop was bent over near a crying little girl. I could faintly hear him telling her that her grandmom would okay and that the doctors were on their way to her. It was then that I realized that that little girl could've been me, and that woman could have been my grandmom; I would only hope to be so lucky as to have a man like my Poppop go out of his way for a stranger.
This same sort of situation was seen about a month ago when basketball star, Allen Iverson, discovered a horrible car accident. The car was flipped over and two friends were inside. Iverson helped the women out of the car, called the police and insisted that they go get checked out at the hospital, where he visited to check on them later that day. For more details of the story visit http://www.philly.com/dailynews/opinion/20070912_Letters___Allen_Iverson__Good_Samaritan.html.

Another example that I gave in my previous post was about a man who stopped to help a family experiencing car problems. In the story, the man tried to help at first with no luck, but then came back in the end with anti-freeze to fix the car, accepting nothing in return for his deed.
I experienced a similar situation just this summer when I was on vacation in Disney World. My family and I were just leaving our suite at the resort to go get some dinner when we noticed a woman sitting on the ground shaking. Another couple had stopped as well because she had been screaming for help. She was still wearing a hospital bracelet, and after taking a pill that she had in her pocket, she explained that the doctor's don't know what is wrong with her yet and they are still doing tests. But, then again she began shaking and my dad was helping her open her medicine. As she began to calm down again we asked her if she was with anyone, because she didn't want us to contact a medic. My mom, my sister and I knocked on the door of the room number she gave us and checked by the pool for her family with no luck. When we returned to the scene a medic was present and staff was in search of her family. Although we weren't much help, we did make sure we got her into the hands of someone who could assist her better, even though it was not what she initially wanted.
A situation such as that, where you are bombarded with the decision to lend your hand or just ignore it, is never an easy one. Sometimes it is difficult or even scary to walk up to stranger in distress and try to help. I came across an example where Josh Hartnett was walking out of a tavern and found a man harrassing a woman at http://dailyblabber.ivillage.com/entertainment/archives/2007/02/josh_hartnett_is_a_good_samari.html. He stepped in, without throwing any punches, advising the man to step off. Even another source said that nothing physical was brought about, just a few raised voices and Josh gave the man a good talking to.