Collective Rescue

I recall a person who became an agent of illumination for me. He studied in the same higher education institution as I did, and he was a couple of batches my junior.

Once, when I was consulting with the company he worked for,  we were walking somewhere in a city. Suddenly, the loud sound of a metal crash and a vehicle screeching to a halt startled us. We turned and saw that a heavy vehicle had hit a small car and was speeding away. The small car was still going round in circles. I was rooted to the ground, partly in shock and partly in fear, but this young boy darted towards the small car shouting that we should bring out the occupants of the hit car immediately, lest the vehicle should catch fire due to impact.

Such was the force of that call that I followed him running. By the Almighty's grace, we could open the car's door and pull out both the people inside. The driver was most impacted -- he was in a shock, bleeding, but alive. We pulled him away from the vehicle, sat him down, gave him water and the boy used his handkerchief to cover his wound until the ambulance arrived.

I had never been part of a "rescue" effort of this kind until then, and I am 100% sure that, had I been alone that day, I would have just stood and stared in sympathy, and not done anything of the kind I ended up doing with that young man leading the way.

I have never shared this with him, but he is my agent of illumination, and I relive his act in my mind everytime I am afraid of (or hesitate in) helping anyone suffering or in need, especially in a public space.

"What would love do?" I have made this my go-to mantra that helps me tune into our interconnections rather than separateness.