I was pretty dismayed and disillusioned when I read one of this week's stories in The Chief relating how a visitor from Alberta rescued a stricken man who had stumbled and collapsed on Government Road on Sunday (July 17).
It boggles my mind that, according to our story, numerous cars actually drove around someone lying in the middle of the road, who was obviously in need of aid. What were people thinking?
I read about a similar story a few years ago. An elderly woman walking down a busy New York City street in winter, slipped on some ice and fell, injuring her ankle. According to reports at the time, not one single person stopped to help the women as she lay there on the cold concrete as it began to snow. Soon, the snow had covered the prone woman completely and she died, alone, cold and probably pretty pissed off at the pedestrians who were stepping over her as she croaked out her final pleas for help. Now, that's New York City, a place where you have to be pretty tough to survive the mean streets. Maybe people who have to do the 50-metre bum hurdle every day on the way to work tend to ignore anyone laying in the street. In Squamish, the streets are far from meanin fact, I'd say the avenues of Squamish are pretty darn friendly. People say hello to you in Squamish, even if they don't know you. It is just that kind of place. Or, rather, I thought it was that type of place.
Maybe people driving those cars thought the man lying in the street was drunk, crazy or a combination of the two, who knows? Regardless of the gentleman's state of intoxication or mental health - it still doesn't excuse people from driving around a prone individual right in the middle of a busy street. Where is your humanity, I'd like to ask these people. What is so all-fired up important on a Sunday that you can't at least stop to see if something's wrong?
Cpl. Douglas Morgan, the visiting Canadian soldier who took the time to investigate the situation and rescue the man who had suffered a diabetes-related episode stated, "As a human being, I just can't run by him." And, to me, that says it all. Morgan was being a good human and a good person by coming to the aid of someone in need. Those that maneuvered their vehicles around the collapsed man were not acting like good humans and, on behalf of the rest of humanity you're now out of the club.
Squamish, and the rest of society, can do without people who have no concern for others. Hopefully, these misguided folks have read the story, feel really bad about themselves and will do the right thing in the future.
If not, I'm sure there are regular buses to New York City just waiting for you.
