The kindness of strangers.

[Abide with me.]

Do you believe most people are intrinsically good, decent, well intentioned and willing to help? Or have you experienced a community of selfish, rude or even violent behaviour?
My husbands life was saved by a group of complete strangers last week, when he began chocking on his breakfast in a pavement cafe' on holiday.
He was braying like a donkey as he struggled to get air into his blocked esophagus and was signalling wildly with his eyes that he couldn't breathe and this was serious, I thumped him on the back to no avail, I didn't know what else to do! Then a passing woman gave him the hymelic maneuver! But was unable to help, a waitress did the same, then another passer by ran into a doctors surgery next door and dragged the doctor out, while another cafe guest called an ambulance, meanwhile our rather well built waiter came out and gave my husband a very vigorous hymlelic manoever and cleared my husband's airways whilst fearing he had broken his ribs, at this point I was in tears as I seriously thought I was losing my husband on the flip of a coin, but I was astounded at the knowledge, compassion and fast action of these complete strangers who moments before had been just minding their own business.
I don't want to put forward the nieve notion that human nature is always at it's best in all people, that simply isn't true, but I believe that most people are guided by the principles of wanting to live in a society which behaves with decency and respect for one another, Christian or not, but what is corrosive is the view that the many are to blame for the bad actions of the few.
Would you expect your loved ones life to be saved by passers by?

 

[jacks]

I agree that when it comes right down to it, most people are honest and kind and will help when they can. I think I am and so are my friends. We aren't especially good, just normal people.

BTW that is a great story. It must have been very scary, I'm so glad it worked out for you both.

 

[Astrid]

Do you believe most people are intrinsically good, decent, well intentioned and willing to help? Or have you experienced a community of selfish, rude or even violent behaviour?
My husbands life was saved by a group of complete strangers last week, when he began chocking on his breakfast in a pavement cafe' on holiday.
He was braying like a donkey as he struggled to get air into his blocked esophagus and was signalling wildly with his eyes that he couldn't breathe and this was serious, I thumped him on the back to no avail, I didn't know what else to do! Then a passing woman gave him the hymelic maneuver! But was unable to help, a waitress did the same, then another passer by ran into a doctors surgery next door and dragged the doctor out, while another cafe guest called an ambulance, meanwhile our rather well built waiter came out and gave my husband a very vigorous hymlelic manoever and cleared my husband's airways whilst fearing he had broken his ribs, at this point I was in tears as I seriously thought I was losing my husband on the flip of a coin, but I was astounded at the knowledge, compassion and fast action of these complete strangers who moments before had been just minding their own business.
I don't want to put forward the nieve notion that human nature is always at it's best in all people, that simply isn't true, but I believe that most people are guided by the principles of wanting to live in a society which behaves with decency and respect for one another, Christian or not, but what is corrosive is the view that the many are to blame for the bad actions of the few.
Would you expect your loved ones life to be saved by passers by?

I'm so glad things turned out as they did.
I bet you know the Heimlich maneuver now!

I am a believer in the innate goodness of
people, though we must never forget evil
moves among us in disguise.
I was assaulted and badly hurt, almost died
later from infection, so that it is very hard for
me to feel safe around men.
But still I know that nearly all men would
have rushed to help me.
Anyway, it won't change my belief in innate goodness.

 

[The Narrow Way]

Do you believe most people are intrinsically good, decent, well intentioned and willing to help? Or have you experienced a community of selfish, rude or even violent behaviour?
My husbands life was saved by a group of complete strangers last week, when he began chocking on his breakfast in a pavement cafe' on holiday.
He was braying like a donkey as he struggled to get air into his blocked esophagus and was signalling wildly with his eyes that he couldn't breathe and this was serious, I thumped him on the back to no avail, I didn't know what else to do! Then a passing woman gave him the hymelic maneuver! But was unable to help, a waitress did the same, then another passer by ran into a doctors surgery next door and dragged the doctor out, while another cafe guest called an ambulance, meanwhile our rather well built waiter came out and gave my husband a very vigorous hymlelic manoever and cleared my husband's airways whilst fearing he had broken his ribs, at this point I was in tears as I seriously thought I was losing my husband on the flip of a coin, but I was astounded at the knowledge, compassion and fast action of these complete strangers who moments before had been just minding their own business.
I don't want to put forward the nieve notion that human nature is always at it's best in all people, that simply isn't true, but I believe that most people are guided by the principles of wanting to live in a society which behaves with decency and respect for one another, Christian or not, but what is corrosive is the view that the many are to blame for the bad actions of the few.
Would you expect your loved ones life to be saved by passers by?

Thanks for sharing! Yes, I do believe that MOST people, if they can help, they will try!

 

[Abide with me.]

W

I'm so glad things turned out as they did.
I bet you know the Heimlich maneuver now!

I am a believer in the innate goodness of
people, though we must never forget evil
moves among us in disguise.
I was assaulted and badly hurt, almost died
later from infection, so that it is very hard for
me to feel safe around men.
But still I know that nearly all men would
have rushed to help me.
Anyway, it won't change my belief in innate goodness.

Wow! I'm so sorry to hear about your experience, and I could really understand if it had coloured your view negatively about a heightened sense of danger around men, glad to hear you managed to Hang on to a sense of balance about men even so.
I knew an ex policeman once who had a thoroughly corrupted view of human nature, and it was difficult to blame him after some of the stories he told me.
This kind of thing is why I added the bit about not being naïve in my post, because I think it's also dangerous to assume everybody will behave well in every situation, there are some situations and places I would consider it a risk being in.
The office of national statistics tells us all what most of us instinctively know about the gereral probibilities of risk.

 

[The happy Objectivist]

Do you believe most people are intrinsically good, decent, well intentioned and willing to help? Or have you experienced a community of selfish, rude or even violent behaviour?
My husbands life was saved by a group of complete strangers last week, when he began chocking on his breakfast in a pavement cafe' on holiday.
He was braying like a donkey as he struggled to get air into his blocked esophagus and was signalling wildly with his eyes that he couldn't breathe and this was serious, I thumped him on the back to no avail, I didn't know what else to do! Then a passing woman gave him the hymelic maneuver! But was unable to help, a waitress did the same, then another passer by ran into a doctors surgery next door and dragged the doctor out, while another cafe guest called an ambulance, meanwhile our rather well built waiter came out and gave my husband a very vigorous hymlelic manoever and cleared my husband's airways whilst fearing he had broken his ribs, at this point I was in tears as I seriously thought I was losing my husband on the flip of a coin, but I was astounded at the knowledge, compassion and fast action of these complete strangers who moments before had been just minding their own business.
I don't want to put forward the nieve notion that human nature is always at it's best in all people, that simply isn't true, but I believe that most people are guided by the principles of wanting to live in a society which behaves with decency and respect for one another, Christian or not, but what is corrosive is the view that the many are to blame for the bad actions of the few.
Would you expect your loved ones life to be saved by passers by?

I think that the more free a society is, the more people will have goodwill for their fellow man. When men are left free to think and act for their own sake they will be far more likely to help strangers and they'll actually have something to help with.

 

[Sodafox]

That's a great story.

To answer your questions though, I believe that 33% of people are good, 33% are neutral, and 33% are evil. That said, not all who are evil are the moustache twirling villain from cartoons. They may still act in ways generally perceived as "good" to maintain a certain image. Similar to people who are good - they may commit acts that appear evil to achieve what they believe is right.