KAMLOOPS (CUP) — Too frequently, I see editorial columns that are simply dripping with negative observations about the world.
Sure, there can be a lot of less-than-awesome things occurring on a regular basis. But how about all of the great things most people either fail to (or choose not to) acknowledge? Go ahead and call me a naïve sap, but just because there is negativity in the world doesn’t mean it has to be the primary focus of our lives.
Don’t get me wrong; I’ve had plenty of moments in my life where I’ve been the classic “glass half-empty” guy. But more and more these days, I try to look at the world through a positive lens. And to my shock and amazement, it actually makes life more enjoyable.
Earlier this week, I witnessed a group of students come to the aid of a fellow pupil in need. This young individual had lost their balance and fallen awkwardly, causing what appeared to be an excruciating injury considering how long the individual remained prone.
Before I knew it, multiple people had rushed to this student’s aid. One volunteered to call campus first aid. Another asked the student where their next class was, offering to head up there to inform the professor about the impending absence. In the meantime, two passersby helped the felled individual to a bench in the vicinity and continued to hang around, waiting to ensure the arrival of campus first-aid.
The response time for the first aid was certainly not something I would have written home about. And for a while, I was far too appalled by the tardiness of the first aid administrator to appreciate the efforts of a much larger group of caring students who took time out of their day, out of their busy schedules, to help someone in need.
In hindsight, it saddens me that my foremost thought about the situation was in regards to the slow first aid response time, as opposed to the extra efforts put forth by people who had absolutely no obligation to help out in the first place. Without even realizing it, I was subconsciously choosing not to acknowledge the positive angle of what I had witnessed.
Eventually the first aid arrived and the person administering the care was more than kind to the individual in need of attention. And in the end, that is what matters in a situation such as this.
What should be commended are the above-and-beyond efforts of regular, everyday people to help out someone in a time of need. Sure, it might seem like second nature to most people to come to the assistance of someone in distress. But too often we focus on the negativity of the experience.
Oh, the injury was so gruesome. I can’t believe it took first aid so long to show up. Why did only “X” number of people stop to help? Every other person walking by without a care is such a jerk.
It might be a tired old cliché, but life truly is more enjoyable when you approach it through a positive looking glass. I look back on this particular event and smile now, proud to know that campuses are full of individuals who genuinely care for their fellow students — and that is how it should be.
