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1. Fear, Technology, Lack of Example - What's to blam

   Did this happen because people today are fearful of getting involved, unsure of what the consequences will be if they take a role in such a situation? "Could I catch something if I help this person? Will I get in trouble if I don't give the right kind of help? Will the police think I was the perpetrator if I help this person? Will I get hurt if I step into the street, too, what if the other cars don't stop? Will other people get mad at me if I stop traffic?" Could it be similar to the fear one feels when passing by a homeless person begging at the roadside? "Maybe if I ignore this, I can pretend it doesn't exist and I can't be hurt by it" - mistrusting the truth of their need or not thinking about the feelings and person behind that sign. Or, perhaps did this happen because people's lives have been so overtaken by technology - with our cell phones, ipods, handheld game players, portable computers, etc - that we have become so disassociated with the people physically adjacent to us we tune out from what our roles could/should be? It's like we are toddlers, parallel playing, rather than interacting. If you saw such an incident as this hit-n-run, would your first thought be to make a telephone call - to 911 or maybe even to some special person in your life, to tell them the awful experience YOU just had witnessing such an event, rather than realizing that there is action that needs to be taken? Or, did this happen because we have a lack of examples to teach us what we could/should do in such an event? We have plentiful exposure to images in media and the movies about professional responders - police, fireman, medical personnel - or of people rushing to the aid of people they know, but perhaps not enough exposure to basic scenarios that help us view ourselves as capable enough to be first responders. It seems we need more "what would you do if..." discussions - over coffee, at church, around the dinner table, in the conference room, wherever. Hopefully that would at least result in the consensus that one should stop traffic and at least communicate with the injured person to reassure him help is on the way. Of course, it was a shocking trauma that occurred. It is easy to second guess the actions that happened there that day, but alas I was not there. I hope that in a similar situation I would be able to keep my wits about me and do the right thing.

   4 months, 3 weeks ago In response to Hit and Run: Without a Compass

Define what responsibility means to you.