You may know that we at Homeward Bound promote and believe in tapping into the power of a teen\’s natural support network of family, neighbors, coaches, and others. We refer to this group as the teen\’s \”Home Team.\” This isn\’t revolutionary. All we have done is acknowledge and value something that is as old as mankind. It\’s our basic humanity. It\’s the instinct most people have to take action in behalf others when we find them in crisis.
Last week I heard the story of a heroic act where a random group of bystanders, construction workers and college students near Utah State University, joined together to lift a burning car off of a motorcyclist who was trapped underneath. The inspiring event was captured on a moving 60 second video (see the link below):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAtXDlttNxg
When I did the Google search to find the story to share with you, I typed in \”channel 2 news burning car.\” Low and behold, another story popped up of a man in Georgia who, a week earlier than the USU incident, risked his life to save another stranger in a burning car. The intriguing story shares that this man had tried to save his own sister in a fire many years earlier, but was unsuccessful. You could feel the pain behind his words when he said, “I tried, but today, I feel good because I did what I didn’t get to fulfill in 1956.” What a long time to have to wait. In both events the people were called \”heroes\” and \”angels.\” They were in the right place, at the right time and they possessed the right instincts.
(http://www.wsbtv.com/news/28762610/detail.html)
The media can inundate us with stories of violence and crime, where the people involved seem to be missing the instinct to do good. But in reality most people are good. Most of us would respond to help someone in a crisis, especially when someone takes the lead and shows us how.
We are privileged to tap into the hero network every day at Homeward Bound. Our families are the beneficiaries of people simply doing what comes natural, stepping in where help is needed, offering whatever they have available to offer. I believe in heroes, and in my book they don\’t have to charge through flames to be given that title. Most heroes quietly go about their days when, in a moment, they are given the opportunity to step up and save someone literally or figuratively.
Sometimes, in our over-emphasized protection of privacy, we find it easier to aid a stranger than our own neighbor, co-worker, or niece. We may be waiting for a signed waiver as the green light to go ahead and act. These heroes and angels were a random sample of people in an intersection. The good inside them pushed them into action and they saved lives. Consider this email your green light to act.
To Family Happiness,
Tim Thayne, Ph.D.
Founder, Homeward Bound
P.S. Do you have a story of your own of a hero who reached out to help? I’d love for you to share it on my blog www.drtimthayne.com for other’s to enjoy.
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