For those that didn't know, last year I was working in an inner city school in Los Angeles, and when I say I saw some interesting things, sometimes that's an understatement. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved my students and the school I worked in, but along with any job, there are bound to be things that get under your skin and eerk you.
Recently I have been thinking about one of those “situations” and it's when I saw my students get into a physical altercation with another person. That alone would be unsettling to most people, but the thing that really got under my skin is that other students would run out of class to go watch the fight happen. No one went to stop the fight, instead they ran over to watch and record it on their cell phones. And for those that didn't get the lucky chance of watching “the show” live, they were able to catch the replay on their friends phone or they got a play by play from their peers.
Now why is it that people can find pleasure out of watching other people get hurt? Where in the history of human evolution did we think it was okay to stand by and watch the horrific occurrence take place? Now for those of you (like me) who feel that a 5’2” female can't do anything to stop this due to the fact that we would be putting ourselves into danger. Well, I say otherwise. There are many things an individual can do that doesn't involve stepping into the action or just recording it on your phone. People can call for help or security, and for those not in the vicinity of a higher authority, there is always the beloved 9-1-1. Like the old adage states, you are always stronger in numbers, but if one person does not take the initiative to lead the numbers, there will never be change.
Another example I witnessed was when I was waiting for the bus downtown. I was standing there, minding my own business while still always remaining aware of my surroundings. All of a sudden, a very muscular and buff couple walked past me. I was too enthralled by their size that I didn't notice that the man was grabbing the back of the women’s neck and shaking her roughly. After I did realize this, they were 20 feet down the street, and my heart was racing. I got nervous. Why was I nervous?
Maybe it was the sheer shock of realizing that this man was physically hurting another person. The same feeling I got when I saw one of my students preparing to fight another student. However, this situation was different. There was a lady walking briskly behind them trying to keep up, and what she did was a step in the right direction. She took a stand and shouted, “Hey, you guys, hey. Hey. Hey guys, take it easy.” During this time, she was still making sure to follow behind them. To me this was the most heroic thing I had seen in a while. The fact that she was a female and alone in downtown would make me nervous enough, but she then had the courage to say something, to not remain quiet and indifferent, and to take a stand.
So if you think about it, how do we as humans come together to create change? Do we stand up for what we believe in and follow our gut instincts or do we do what society tells us to do? Do we follow what others are doing or do we lead others to action? If I had the golden answer, I would tell you, but deciding how we choose to live our lives is up to each individual person in this world. I do hope that, one day, everyone will choose to stand up and help others for the greater good, but let me know what you all think you would do in this situation. Just always remember that we are stronger in numbers and can do whatever we set our minds to.
