Bystander Effect

      When have you experienced an opportunity to act, but not done it (or maybe you did act)? If you have never experienced this sort of opportunity, try to envision a hypothetical situation where it might happen. In this situation why did you fail to act? Or, if it was a hypothetical situation, what might prevent you from acting?

      Though I havn't experienced ny sort of situation in which breaking up a fight or helping someone would have been necessary, I honestly don't see myself acting in certain situations. If I was walking alone in the streets of New York at night and saw some people having a violent argument down a back alley, I probably would keep to myself. Not because I'm self centered, but because I want to keep myself safe.

       Yes- there are some instances in which acting is a good idea: when you're in a group, know the people who are involved, or can be sure that the "assaulter" isn't dangerous. It is human nature to act in our best interest, we can't help that, and we don't want to but ourselves in harm's way for a stranger. In order to 'make up' for this behaviour we volunteer, give to charity, and start fundraisers to help people so that we can fulfill our needs to help others in a safe way.

       Another reason that this effect could be possible is because of what we believe is the "social standard." If other people don't want to help, we may not think it our business to help either. Too often we'd rather blend into the crowd than stand out and do something good for someone.

       It's too bad that this is how we think; however, we can't change human nature, but we have the ability to take risks ourselves to help people in need.

       

Interdependance

" We have learned that we cannot live alone, at peace; that our own well-being is dependent on the well-being of other nations, far away.... We have learned to be citizens of the world, members of the human community." 

- Franklin D. Roosevelt, Former US President, 1945.

I agree with this quote. In the last sixty-five years the world has become increasingly globalized, making this quote more true now that it was when it came from Roosevelt's mouth. We live in a world where the rest of the world fears an economic failure in the Eurozone because of the global implications it would have; 200 years ago this wouldn't have been something to worry about. Our world has become a place where individuals have to worry about how single corporations are doing simply because of how interdependent we are with our money. Companies that manage pensions rely on the population's money to grow and people depend on these organizations to manage that money well so that they can have an enjoyable retirement. Yes, there are problems to interdependence... what happens when a huge company fails? Do we have a repeat of 2008? Are the risks worth the benefits? I think so, though I haven't experienced the problems first hand.