On the way home last night I changed trains at a different station to normal and as I walked up the steps to the platform and a teenage boy ran up the steps that were for people walking down from the platform and as he did so he shoulder barged an old man with a walking stick walking down the steps. The old man got knocked backwards and a person behind managed to steady him. The boy carried on oblivious.
I was so angry and when I got onto the platform I was going to have a word with him, but then I realised that he was actually with a group of people who were going to the football match*. I decided that this was probably not the best time to intervene and instead internalised my rage. He looked like a harmless enough lad, but it wasn’t the right circumstances.
Then, last night, I saw this story and decided that this perhaps showed it was the right thing to stay silent.
*I think he was Czech (who Scotland were playing) rather than Egyptian (who England were playing).
4 comments:
Oh how I sympathise. I always want to intervene when I see injustice, bullying etc and I know how hard it is to walk away. I then wrestle with my conscience for not doing anything altho deep down you know it is the most sensible.
ChrisB - and the less we intervene perhaps the more people feel able to get away with it. But still I think often the risk is too great. *sigh*
I agree - the risk is too great unless someones life is in peril.
Kahless - I wish it wasn't like that though. There seem to have been several stories lately of people who have stepped in and then not come off too well from the experience.
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