Compassion

inHisgrip · Jul 16, 2004

A question for all....

If you saw your neighbors home on fire, would you reach out to help them?
If so, How?

In Him

justaman · Jul 16, 2004

Alrighty, where's this going? If my neighbours house was on fire I'd call the fire-brigade. If the neighbours were still inside, I'd go in. If the neighbours were outside and the fire-brigade on the way, I'd turn a garden hose on it. If there were no garden hoses about I wouldn't do a damned thing.

So is this going somewhere?

inHisgrip · Jul 16, 2004

I just watched the apartment building next to mine go up in flames. I went out to offer a place for anyone put out to come and stay and actually had a couple of folks(not ones who lost there homes) laugh at me.
I thought it sad that so many people stood around watching other people (some with children) lose there homes and noone offer any help.
I just was curious if anyone would offer this kind of help.
Of course we would all call the fire department, but would anyone try to meet the needs of those experiencing loss?
In Him

seebs · Jul 16, 2004

This is a challenging question, and one to which the answer scares me.

A while back, in a debate on the morality of divorce, one of our posters described the horribly abusive relationship a friend of hers was in. Her husband threw chairs at her in front of their young child, and so on, and so forth.

I wrote to ask where this woman was, hoping that at least someone on the BBS would be close enough to her to possibly offer some assistance, or perhaps a safe place to stay.

It turns out I didn't live close enough to matter... But... No one else wrote. Not one. Out of the thirty people debating in that thread, only one even thought to look at the actual circumstance, instead of the debate point.

There's an urban legend (perhaps even true) about a research project; pastors were hired to give a sermon on "the good samaritan", and then directed through circuitous routes such that:
1. They would be late.
2. They would pass by a person in obvious need of help on their way to the sermon.

You can guess what happened.

I have no answer for this.

ReUsAbLePhEoNiX · Jul 16, 2004

justaman said:
Alrighty, where's this going? If my neighbours house was on fire I'd call the fire-brigade. If the neighbours were still inside, I'd go in. If the neighbours were outside and the fire-brigade on the way, I'd turn a garden hose on it. If there were no garden hoses about I wouldn't do a damned thing.

So is this going somewhere?

The Op is going to make the analogy of the moral right of pushing evangelism.

If the house was on fire, you would run into the house and tell the occupants...without the fear of rejection.

The same applies to saving souls from hell, without regard to personal feelings of rejection.

Yes, I too went to the Bill Gaither christian seminars, and rememeber this analogy

praying · Jul 16, 2004

ReUsAbLePhEoNiX said:
The Op is going to make the analogy of the moral right of pushing evangelism.

Where did that come from?

If the house was on fire, you would run into the house and tell the occupants...without the fear of rejection.

Not everyone would do that.

The same applies to saving souls from hell, without regard to personal feelings of rejection.

I think you are way off base and the question had nothing at all to do with evangelism, and everything to do with ethics.

Yes, I too went to the Bill Gaither christian seminars, and rememeber this analogy

Who is Bill Gaither?

seebs · Jul 16, 2004

Seems to me that the OP was actually just asking a question.

praying · Jul 16, 2004

seebs said:
Seems to me that the OP was actually just asking a question.

Me too seebs.

inHisgrip · Jul 16, 2004

ReUsAbLePhEoNiX said:
The Op is going to make the analogy of the moral right of pushing evangelism.

If the house was on fire, you would run into the house and tell the occupants...without the fear of rejection.

The same applies to saving souls from hell, without regard to personal feelings of rejection.

Yes, I too went to the Bill Gaither christian seminars, and rememeber this analogy

If you read post #3 you would see that this has nothing to do with evangelism, but having compassion for those in need.
I have never been to a Bill Gaither seminar. I think the question was very self explanatory.
Would any one attempt to meet the needs of people in such a tragic situation.
When I saw this happen the other night, noone helped anyone at all and I found it so sad we as people have grown so self centered that we will not even reach out to our neighbors.
In Him

Lionheart_03 · Jul 16, 2004

well me i really don't know what will i do when that happens... maybe i will also be shocked... maybe i'll also be afraid of it... maybe comfort them... offer them something like food or coffee... offer them to stay in our house for night... call their relatives and spoil what had happen in a good way of course... i can't really say until it happens to me...

joshua_cheung · Jul 16, 2004

inHisgrip said:
I just watched the apartment building next to mine go up in flames. I went out to offer a place for anyone put out to come and stay and actually had a couple of folks(not ones who lost there homes) laugh at me.
I thought it sad that so many people stood around watching other people (some with children) lose there homes and noone offer any help.
I just was curious if anyone would offer this kind of help.
Of course we would all call the fire department, but would anyone try to meet the needs of those experiencing loss?
In Him

I think I will just find a safe place and watch.
I don't know what should I do to help them.
After the fire, I may donate some money to help them if they are poor.

Cerridwen · Jul 17, 2004

I think I will just find a safe place and watch.

And that is what's wrong with the world today. Too many people siting idly by watching others go through hell, & not doing a damn thing about it. Like hiding & watching a woman raped or mugged. Like not reporting child or spousal abuse because it's "none of your business". It's disgusting, & it is what is slowly killing our humanity. So many people don't care about anything but themselves. They don't care about the environment, the poor, the hungry, the hurt, they care about covering their own asses & the almighty dollar. That's about it. If you were sleeping & your house caught on fire, would you want your neighbors to just "find a safe place to watch"? Or would you want them to come wake you up & help you get out? It all comes back to doing as you would have others do. To treat people as you would like to be treated. Would you appreciate help? Then HELP somebody!

Love & Blessings, Cerridwen*

flicka · Jul 17, 2004

joshua_cheung said:
I think I will just find a safe place and watch.
.

Actually, that is the best thing to do. If there was an active fire with trained personal trying to work you best not get in their way. Help can come after the flames have died. Too many Good Samaritans have ended up hurting rather than helping when they don't know what to do.

Cerridwen · Jul 17, 2004

And if there's not any trained personnel? He should just sit back & let them burn alive, not warn the inhabitants at all? Obviously he shouldn't get in the way of the firefighters, but that isn't the question here. The question is, if he saw a burning house, where no one was doing anything, would he actually make an effort to help? What about outside of the building? What about offering water? What about helping people get to ambulances? What about offering them food? A place to stay? Should you sit back & keep your mouth shut when you see a child being beaten, so you "don't get in the way"? Surely not? Where is our morality now? Where is our humanity?

Love & Blessings, Cerridwen*

The Bellman · Jul 17, 2004

flicka said:
Actually, that is the best thing to do. If there was an active fire with trained personal trying to work you best not get in their way. Help can come after the flames have died. Too many Good Samaritans have ended up hurting rather than helping when they don't know what to do.

Obviously, if there were trained personnel there doing their thing, then the best thing we could do was stand back and let the experts work. But that's not the issue. The issue is in the first instance, when there is NO trained personnel...do you do nothing? Call the fire brigade and then sit back to watch the show? Do what you can - including possibly risking your own life - to help?

Eudaimonist · Jul 17, 2004

inHisgrip said:
If you saw your neighbors home on fire, would you reach out to help them?
If so, How?

I'd call the fire department. Those are the experts at saving the lives of people in such situations, and I am not.

If they couldn't arrive, I wouldn't rush in unless there was someone inside who was very important to me -- a loved one.

No, I wouldn't take a large risk for my life for a complete stranger, and I think that is actually the moral response to the situation. I don't believe in lemming morality.

The Bellman · Jul 17, 2004

Eudaimonist said:
I'd call the fire department. Those are the experts at saving the lives of people in such situations, and I am not.

If they couldn't arrive, I wouldn't rush in unless there was someone inside who was very important to me -- a loved one.

No, I wouldn't take a large risk for my life for a complete stranger, and I think that is actually the moral response to the situation. I don't believe in lemming morality.

I don't quite see how it is "lemming morality" to risk your life for a complete stranger. People do it all the time, and I applaud them.

Risen Tree · Jul 17, 2004

inHisgrip said:
A question for all....

If you saw your neighbors home on fire, would you reach out to help them?
If so, How?

In Him

(1) Call 911 ASAP.
(2) Go over to the house but keep a safe distance.
(3) Talk to one or more surviving victims. They'll be emotionally distraught and will likely need someone to talk to. Or maybe they just need a warm, gentle touch (assuming that I wouldn't physically hurt them by doing so).

inHisgrip · Jul 17, 2004

I think many are missing the point of the question. I am asking if you would aid them in the time after the fire? Would you just assume that they would be fine and that they have somewhere to go?
I would assume that everyone would call the fire department, and its fairly foolish to run into a burning building, but what I witnessed was people standing around watching while families were in tears, losing all they had.
Why is it that people won't reach out? It's amazing how many people thought I was foolish for offering what little help I could, a place to stay, some clothes, a meal.
Cerriwedin said it well, wouldn't you want help offered in a situation like this?
How can we not reach out to our direct community, those we live the closest to?
In Him

Risen Tree · Jul 17, 2004

Oh, you mean long-term aid. If so, that's a very good question. It's tempting to help people through the first few hours or days of a crisis but then forget about them. One has to remember that recovery can take months or even years, and they will probably need people to walk them the whole way through that time. Different people, of course, have different needs.

And it doesn't take all that much. Even the slightest gesture of kindness, such as lunch on a weekly basis, speaks volumes to a hurting soul.

As for this specific problem, the major trauma comes from the loss of property, often complete loss. Just think about how much is in your home that you use on a daily basis: clothes, bed, toiletries, food, appliances, this computer, other accessories, etc.

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