(Day 8-before-31) Just a little advice...

Does anyone else find this current national story about the three women who were being kept captive in a house for the last 10-12 years as riveting as I do?

This past year, I read the book Room by Emma Donoghue.  Ever since they found these women (and at least one of their children) last week, I can't get the imagery from Room out of my mind. Heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time.  These women have truly persevered  and we can only pray that they will be able to overcome the traumas they have endured over the past decade.

The story in and of itself is amazing, and yet the one person that I find myself gravitating toward is Charles Ramsey, the neighbor who set aside any apprehensions and saved these women.  He is actually my inspiration in today's 31-before-31 blog prompt.

::Day 8::

Share a piece of advice you have for others

 

Last night, Charles Ramsey was interviewed by Anderson Cooper on AC360.  One thing that Charles will very clearly note is that he is not a hero. In each interview he does, this man says that he was simply returning home from grabbing dinner and was eating his Big Mac when he heard the piercing screams coming from his next door neighbor's house. He was in the right place at the right moment.  

Be an unlikely hero

Last night on AC360 Charles said something that I hope to keep as a piece of advice for myself which was; 

"Sometimes we just need to put aside that feeling of coward. 

We need to ignore the feeling that we should stay out of people's business. 

We need to do something. 

We have got to have cojones in this world." 

 

We as a people often speak of compassionate service and of helping our fellow human beings. Yet when it comes to a potentially intrusive situation, how often do we guide our actions against our better intuition?  In this situation, many, many people including the police (on multiple occasions), various neighbors, and even one of the girls' own brother had been in that house in Cleveland and did not listen to that inner voice telling them to be concerned.

 

Is my advice for you to put yourself in harm's way? 

NO!

 

Is my advice for us as people to sometimes worry less about being polite, and focus more on serving those around us in a way that may seem scary or intrusive? 

YES!

 

Here's a piece of advice for us:

If you see something, say something. You never know, you may be the next Big Mac hero!