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Guest Article by Julie Plancarte
Being Like The Good Samaritan
Everyone has heard the Biblical story of the Good Samaritan. It's pretty simple. A man is robbed and beaten, and left on the side of the road. People pass him by, ignoring him, until one man stops and offers aid. This man has compassion for the stranger, and his concern leads to action. This is kindness of one stranger to another, but the message is a powerful one, and the story teaches a great lesson. In the
last two weeks, I had some things happen to me that illustrated in my mind the
heart of this story. First, I
will begin by saying that I have been watching the news and have seen the
coverage on the various disasters that have struck around the world. It’s been
sad to watch people suffer. Recently, I was on You Tube and came across a
channel I normally visit. An actor had come forward and was urging his fans to
protest some government’s decision that would affect a minority group in the
country. Fans were urged to contact their local politicians and protest with
this actor.
Now, I
always view this type of thing with a great deal of cynicism. It’s not uncommon
for celebrities or public figures to make statements and “protest” something,
but I don’t find it very productive. Let’s say one does get indignant over an
issue. Maybe a cocktail party or “event” will be organized. People will chatter
and shake their heads and complain. Fingers will be pointed, money will
exchange hands. However, it’s an easy kind of charity. One that leaves
you feeling intellectually superior, but requires little personal growth.
This week
I encountered two opportunities to extend charity that were not related to a
far away place, but could be done on a personal basis. First, I had a worker of
mine who was in charge of passing out medications. This person over medicated a
patient, and then didn’t put any safeguards in place to monitor the patient. No
one was called and the worker made an improper record in the books to cover for
her mistake. She then shrugged off the incident and went home. When I met with
the worker and asked her what happened, she seemed baffled that I was upset.
She would deal with the issue on her time schedule, and couldn’t see what she had
done wrong.
Another
example came up a few days later. I was pulled aside by a staff member and told
that a patient was hoarding food and his room looked terrible. I went into the room and was appalled by what
I saw. He was laying in a bed with smears of poop. Poop was on the walls,
garbage was crammed under the bed. The sheets were filthy, there were plates
with rotting food shoved in a filing cabinet and bugs were flying around. I
went out and fetched the housekeepers and cleared out the room and had the
resident get out of bed. I felt really angry. When I confronted the
Housekeeping Supervisor, I got excuses. It left me feeling drained and
frustrated because I couldn’t make him do a better job with his department.
Where were
the Good Samaritans in these two cases? They were not there. They didn’t have
enough concern to take proper action in order to help another person. People
like to protest or speak out on some “issue”, but closer to home, I often am
stunned by the way people fail to demonstrate the basic compassion and empathy
towards other people who need help. Things are ignored or forgotten. People
shrug and point and say, “it’s his job”. That doesn’t fly with me.
I salute
that actor for trying to be socially conscious, but let’s get real. Show some compassion and decency on a personal
basis in daily life. This is where it really counts.
The people
in the story of the Good Samaritan probably had good reasons for not stopping
to help the beaten and bloody man on the road. They were late, they were tired,
someone else would stop. I guess my message is simple. Don’t wait to be
charitable. Don’t expect that someone else will do it. Extend a helping hand,
and offer some support. It’s free and offers you a chance to grow.
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Copyright 2010 Leland Pulley
