Inaction: Watching People in Need Instead of Helping
“you can also commit injustice by doing nothing.” –Marcus Aurelius.
Have you ever witnessed a subway altercation, an overacting patron at a restaurant, or bullying and wondered why others don’t help? Or perhaps you were the one who hid in the crowd of people who did not act? Psychologists term this phenomenon the “bystander effect.” The bystander effect is a type of inaction that everyone eventually partakes in. But what is it about humans that causes them to watch instead of help, stand by instead of act?
Hesitation to help a stranger in need is sometimes the last few seconds they have — seconds that could have changed the outcome or saved a life. Perhaps some people are embarrassed to be the first to help. Or maybe we fear getting involved and becoming the target of an altercation? Or perhaps we fool ourselves into thinking we help by offering thoughts and prayers from a safe distance?
Religion and Political Inaction
That’s precisely what reformed modern religion defaults to — sit around and offer up thoughts and prayers, yet do nothing, which leads me to the next point.
Are some religious folks sitting around waiting for their savior to descend from the sky magically? Then have God go out and do all their heavy lifting? This…
