Short entry. School is crazy! 16 6000-7000 credit hours is nuts. Granted, some of that is internship, but I’ve been there 25 hours a week even though I only get paid for 20. Time off Wednesday will be nice. Need to ride more. Winter is coming, but the indian summer has been nice. Obsessing on bike parts I don’t need and can’t afford. Perhaps I’m just diverting from feeling utterly overwhelmed. Kids have been a challenge, Milaena is learning to assert her will. Angels and Airwaves has kept me positive, new album is a great sophomore effort, but doesn’t top “We Don’t Need To Whisper.”
Monthly Archive for October, 2007
I don’t think anything else needs saying. Thank-you, drive through please (no pun intended).
Via: drunkcyclist.com
What A Day
Today has indeed been strange. Upon arriving at the prison this morning, I learned that the whole entire site was on lock-down because of a gang-related fight at the Gunnison facility. Ultimately, I couldn’t do much and decided to leave.
On my way out, I decided to stop at the market and pick up some breakfast. When pulling into the parking lot, I saw what appeared to be an EMT helping a man in a Chevy Blazer. Initially, I thought nothing of it and actually concluded that he was just talking to the man in the front seat. Then, upon seeing into the car from inside the store, realized the man was having a heart attack. I began asking if there was anything I could do to help. The man was brought from his SUV to inside the store and laid upon the floor. He was now convulsing and appeared to be hyper-ventilating. Apparently his name was Richard
The man who was helping Richard was, in fact, and EMT. I asked him if I could help and he asked me to remove Richard’s girlfriend from the scene. I took her aside and asked her about Richard’s medical history, which she knew little about. Apparently he had suffered a heart attack before, but she didn’t know when or how serious it was. I asked her how she was doing and she began to break down. Soon after, the actual paramedics arrived. The appeared to stabilize Richard fairly quickly and soon enough, he was on his way to the hospital.
Why am I writing about this? Well, it’s not to toot my own horn. The truth is I’m disgusted by the level of apathy exemplified by many of the bystanders. One younger woman literally grabbed me and held me when I told her the man was having a heart attack. She appeared to be experiencing anxiety of it! This, was the last of the normal reactions though. Most people just stood around watching. No one else asked if they could help. Several people actually stepped right over Richard as they wished to just purchase their goodies and leave the store as quickly as possible. I always thought bystander apathy1 only happened in densely populated cities like New York or Bangkok! Apparently not. I feel a great sorrow for those who are so disconnected that they would simply watch a man die rather than offer their assistance. This morning, I felt ashamed to be human.
Links:
1Bystander Apathy ↩