Which way did they go?

[jeanvieve]

I watched footage of the Boston Marathon today, and flinched in sadness when the explosions went off. I saw that only one runner fell down at first, and people ran to help him up.

In the background, I saw more people running to help. People helping staggering runners get across the line because, yes, to finish mattered even when a bomb went off. The race mattered. The task at hand mattered to finish.

I'm teary with love and admiration for my fellow men and women today in the human race. Just about everyone ran toward the buildings, toward the smoke and fear and uncertainty. Were there more bombs? Could more go off at any second? Why yes, so let's go help people get out of there.

Going and helping. Not just running away and hiding, and pulling out guns looking for targets to shoot at.

Awesome. Finish your races. Help those who stumble. Help those who fall. Seek out those who need more help and can't ask for it. Imagine the pride a year or two from now for the runners jogging slowly toward the finish line. "Yup, I was there. The bomb went off, and I stumbled and fell, and skinned my knee. Then I got up and finished those last ten yards, and went to help out."

Comments

[chatte-bleue.livejournal.com]

This post coupled in my mind immediately with Mount Everest issue though the unpredictability of happened in Boston of course makes them non-comparable.
I mean, it is a known fact that people are often dying on their way to the peak: not enough strengths, not enough air to breath, altitude etc. Less known but still the public fact is that other mountaineers are passing by those goners and do not try to help them to survive: their own energies are limited and carefully calculated so spending them for much higher burden (it means a lot in such a high places when you carry your weight vs your weight+smb else's weight) is supposed to result in another goner at the worst. There are plenty of other details, such as cost of the expedition to the peak of Everest which is mostly paid by sponsor and not by mountaineer him/herself, "task at hand mattered to finish", voluntary activity (nobody made those goners to go to this dangerous place, it was their own decision) and possibly lots more I can't presume.

[seussgirl27.livejournal.com]

I was irritated by the constant sensationalism of the media. When the 78y/o runner spoke to Piers Morgan, he was less than eloquent but he was real. Given the circumstances, I was glad he wasn't eloquent. He spoke his mind, didn't exaggerate his experience, and reminded those watching that sometimes you gotta think a bit to gain real perspective. I'm so impressed he was running and that he continued to the finish line. His first thoughts weren't to stand around and seek attention, but to get back to his hotel, to his wife. As you said, to finish the task at hand. He's a hero in my book.