What Is Happening To Us?

This afternoon a young man who had been ice fishing down to the pond was driving his truck back up Moy Mo Da Yo road, and slid off the road into the woods.

Without a word, everyone in my family donned our coats and walked over to the truck that was royally stuck, hung up on a huge pine stump. It never even occured to us not to offer a hand.

I am not so proud of something else, however. In the time we were there trying to help this guy get out, several other vehicles drove up from the pond - and drove right by, without so much as a howdy-doo. Each of them stared as they drove by, but none offered a hand.

Where has our humanity gone? Our compassion? We are all so willing to drop a few bucks onto a charity to help the folks in Haiti, but when it comes to actually doing something to help our fellow man, it seems too many draw the line at that.

I cut down the trees he was hung up against, and a friend he had called hooked a chain and we finally dragged him out.

In reflection, I am sorely disappointed that no one else offered to help. And in that disappointment I recall something that happened at a recent car show. One gentleman had a dead battery at the end of the show. Of the couple hundred folks attending, only one stopped to offer help when they saw his hood up as everyone else was leaving.

America seems to be changing rapidly, and for the worse. Perhaps we should all make a concerted effort to turn that trend around. The next time you see someone in need, just take one moment to imagine that he is you. Then "do unto others as you would have others do unto you."

When the task is done, you'll feel pretty darn good.

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