Today's Gentleman

I believe that as a Gentleman goes about his day he has an active radar.  This radar is actively scanning the area and the people around him, sensing those that may need his assistance.

This is in stark contrast to how many people seem to go about their days, with horse blinkers on, or tunnel vision that ignores everything else that is going on around them.  I see it too often, when something is happening that is obviously wrong, people look the other way and just walk past. 

I saw it the other day when an old man was trying to wrestle a new lawnmower in a large box into the back of his car. Firstly, the people at the hardware shop should have never let this obviously frail man out of the store without offering assistance.  Secondly the three other men that ignored his plight should have done something before I got there.

I always think, what if that was my Grandfather?  What would I hope the people around him would do?

What if everyone had this sense of a bubble of social awareness around them and a willingness to help?

I am reminded of the story a little while after 9/11 when a potential terrorist tried to hijack a plane and about five people jumped on him immediately foiling the attempt.  This was simply because collectively people had developed a heightened social awareness and improved their radars.  They had realised that if we are all selfishly just looking out for ourselves bad stuff can happen and bad people will get away with it.

If we all walked around with this attitude of a radar that is always on the world would be a much happier and safer place.