Earlier today I was making my evening commute home and I witnessed three different faces of humanity. If you’ve ever been to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in the summer then you probably know that highway 544 is pretty busy during the day. Today was no different as I headed for home. As I neared an intersection that was in close proximity to Coastal Carolina University the light was turning red and people were taking their final moments to turn down a residential road. This is where I met the different faces of reality. Two cars and a moped all were making left turns as the car ahead of mine approached the intersection. The two cars heading east made the turn, and the moped made its approach. This is the moment that order gave way to chaos. The moped driver, whom I later learned was Jeremy Miller, was going less than 15mph and started to make his way through the intersection. The one car ahead of me saw his chance to go once the moped went through so they advanced, BUT the moped went through some gravel causing the wheel to lose traction. The moped jerked hard and threw him down hard. He slammed his arm on th asphalt and the back of his head. Luckily he was wearing a book bag so his head was spared some damage. On the split second that this happened the three faces appeared.
The first was the face of Indifference which was worn by the driver of the car ahead if me that was trying by any means necessary to make it through this light. They actually sped up when Jeremy fell and swerved into oncoming traffic to go around his unconscious body. He shot down highway 544 without even looking back. Truly indifferent to humanity in need.
The second was the face of Compassion within Chaos. At all four sides of the intersection a member of humanity stepped up to wear this face. To my right an older lady rushed from her car to the young man’s side first trying to get him to respond. I parked my car and rushed to him and began to help her rouse him. To his left another older vacationing last called 911. A third younger woman rushed from a few car lengths behind us and helped stabilize his head and began to triage the situation because she was a nurse/emt on vacation. A guy who works as a pool table transporter brought over blankets for him, and another began to divert traffic around him. All in a matter of seconds we reacted. Blocked traffic, roused Jeremy, and focused on helping him maintain consciousness as we awaited help.
The third most heinous face was the face of inconsiderate evil in my opinion. A man on a motorcycle was behind me before I stopped my car and was irate that the traffic flow halted for an unconscious man laying in the middle of an intersection. He began hurling insults and cursing at the guy directing traffic and trying to make us move the victim. With him being a possible head/neck trauma we wouldn’t dare move him so we ignored him, but the insults kept coming. Once two off duty cops arrived and had a word with him He quieted down and was finally directed through.
After the paramedics arrived they tended to Jeremy and got him sent on his way to the hospital. He seemed like he was going make a recovery from his fall. After the rest of the witnesses and I made our police reports I started on my way home. I started to wonder about the three faces of humanity I witnessed. My instincts pulled me to help. That irate guy’s instincts told him to berate the people around him. The guy who almost ran Jeremy over once he fell chose to run away as fast ad possible. I can’t blame them from leaving, it wasn’t a family member of theirs. But at the same time it was a member of his species.
I don’t know if it was the fact that I’m a veterinary technician that instantly drew me from my car, or just an instinctual need to help That was born into me but I chose to help. My question is, what would you do if you saw a person take nasty spill would you:
A. Help them out
B. Be indifferent
C. Be disgusted with the situation
Let me know,
Poetic Ice
poeticice 