"No Good Deed Goes Unpunished"
That, to me, is such a pessimistic quote but, nonetheless, it ran through my head today when I saw someone who needed help and I had a solution for it. I'm still wondering if I had done the right thing or should I have done my first initial inkling.
Early this morning, I was at the Wal-mart a few miles down the road and just getting back to my car when I heard someone mention my town's name. Looking around, I saw someone who needed directions and was asking someone else for them. The man gave that person general directions and even a specific landmark to look for. That person then stood there and looked around, saw someone else pull in and asked that person for directions.
That was the back story, now here's the dilemma...
Whilst I was heading back home and could easily have told the person to follow me to the general location (initial inkling) I then thought, well maybe I shouldn't because I am a lone female and what if this was just a scheme of some sorts? Then of course it volleyed back and forth, so that I sat in my car and thought awhile on it. I saw that the man (yes it was a man, hence the restraint) had an actual print out of where he was going and seemed to have two children waiting around in the car, but then I thought, what if those children are decoys and are really to help put someone's barriers down? I then saw that after asking two people, who both gave him general but helpful directions he still stood there as though unsure, so I thought, hmm, what's up with that? But then I thought, well, he has out-of-state plates and I would be dubious with such info, especially if I had somewhere important to go to, and maybe he was holding back 'til someone gave him very specific directions. I know people who are terrified of driving without specific, inch-by-inch directions. However, he was wearing very inconspicuous clothing and a baseball cap and sunglasses...
But in the end, my prude-ness/caution won out and I drove away without helping him but left with nagging thoughts about not helping a fellow human being/what would Jesus do?/I should have been more friendly as befitting my town and my general disposition.
What do you think?
I definitely would have helped a woman with kids. Men, you're on your own...
Me.
Come inside and see
Sootie
Smell My Foot!
2 comments:
But you never know, maybe he was a terrorist looking to use his children in a suicide bombing plot in your town. So by you not giving directions, you saved many lives.
Or, he was taking those children to a molestation spot in your town and by you not giving directions, someone else had time to notice that the children weren't happy and notified the authorities of the suspicious behavior.
I don't see giving a tourist directions as a "noble" activity that one should lament over either.
And, I do think it was appropriate for a lone young female not to approach a man.
For me, I'd just view the scene as an outsider looking in and would not be interested in getting involved. Perhaps with something less trivial I would be moved to action though.
Well, you never know, I watched a marathon of "To catch a predator" and you never know. They hire people to be decoys. Which i found funny, because i really hope the decoys were 18 or else they were being exposed to lude men.
Also, you could have just brought them to a crowded place. I remember back in the day when i played the "Worse Case Scenario" pc game it said to go into crowds and never turn into awkward empty roads.
Post a Comment