Background
On the streets of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, a chilling incident was staged at around 10 p.m. on May 15, 2024. It's a tale of good intentions and misunderstandings, responsibility and false accusations, set against the backdrop of China's fast-growing urban life, accompanied by a pluralistic sense of morality and a dilution of social responsibility. There's an old saying, "When the road is uneven, draw a sword to help", but in modern society, this kind of behavior seems to be becoming less and less common, and people may ask, what makes us so indecisive?
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To help or not to help again triggers thinking
In this case, an elderly man riding an electric scooter was covered with alcohol and accidentally fell down, making it difficult to get up on his own. A takeaway brother who happened to pass by, out of humanitarian instinct, stopped what he was doing and stepped forward to help the old man up. This was supposed to be a warm episode, but it unexpectedly evolved into an incident that made people question the bottom line of this society's morality. When we are faced with such a scenario, we can't help but ask: in the current society, is it really so difficult to be a simple good person?
Body content
In the bustling city of Nanjing, stories are playing out in every corner, big or small. The delivery boy was on the street at night, originally just trying to complete his food delivery task, but unexpectedly a sudden accident disrupted the plan. A drunken old man falls to the ground on an electric scooter, apparently under the influence of alcohol, and his blurred eyes and crumbling body make people look at it with pity.
The takeaway brother did not hesitate, he put down the package in his hand and stepped forward to help the old man. In his opinion, this is a very ordinary thing, in line with the principle of "do not do unto others as you would have them do unto you", he is just making a moral choice. However, this choice was soon given other meanings.
Because of the influence of alcohol, the old man incoherently accused the little brother of bumping into him, and his emotions were slightly excited. The little brother immediately sensed the complexity of the situation and hurriedly looked around for witnesses, fortunately, there was an enthusiastic passer-by who witnessed the whole process and was willing to testify for him.
Just when the little brother thought that things could be solved, bigger trouble came. The arrival of the traffic police was supposed to bring some comfort and support, but it backfired, and they told the little brother that they needed to wait for the arrival of the old man's family before leaving. Time passed minute by minute, and anxiety and uneasiness gradually accumulated in the little brother's heart.
Finally, at around 11 o'clock, the old man's son arrived at the scene, and the traffic police completed the alcohol test on the old man, showing that his alcohol concentration was as high as 212mg/100ml, far exceeding the legal standard for drunk driving.
However, the old man's son did not show any gratitude, but said to the little brother in an accusatory tone: "You have to accompany us to the hospital." This unreasonable request was stopped by the traffic police in time, but the next problem is far from being solved. Despite the testimony of eyewitnesses and his own recorder, the delivery boy still needs to spend a lot of time proving his innocence. In this process, the little brother's heart is undoubtedly mixed. He pondered repeatedly, why did his kindness become like this? Is society too complicated, or is people's hearts too impetuous?
The matter was finally dealt with in the middle of the night, and the old man was taken to the hospital by his family, while the little brother was allowed to leave. Although he was not punished by any law, the experience hit him enormously. From now on, he may think twice about reaching out to strangers. Such an ending can't help but make people sigh: in modern society, are the qualities of kindness and helping others still needed, or in other words, before helping others, do we all have to learn to protect ourselves?
epilogue
The story is a mirror that reflects some of the thought-provoking issues in today's society. We often say that "when one side is in trouble, all sides will support", but in real life, people often seem hesitant in the face of sudden moral tests. This is not only a test of individual moral courage, but also a test of the entire social atmosphere. We should think about how to protect the rights and interests of those who really need help while protecting the well-wishers.
And for every ordinary person, we may need to learn to protect ourselves while doing good deeds, so as to prevent good intentions from being misunderstood or even used. This is not a loss of trust in society, but a necessary self-defense. As the old saying goes, "plan ahead", we also need to be mindful when we reach out to make sure that we don't fall into unnecessary difficulties because of our kindness.
In the future, I hope that each of us can protect ourselves without losing our kindness and warmth to the world. Let us become smart and kind modern people, who can not only cut the thorns of the way, but also not forget the fragrance spread along the way. This kind of society is what each of us really yearns for.