You, The Bystander

We are all bystanders in some fashion. We all see the world around us-the good and the bad. The good is there. The bad is there. Goodness is found in a single act of one person helping another carry their groceries to their car. Goodness is also found in a nation coming to the assistance of another in a time of crisis. Evil is present as well. Evil is found in a perpetrator abusing a child or in genocide. I am not addressing the theological aspects of good and evil although goodness is identified in the Bible as one of the fruits of the Spirit. For this article, I address goodness and evil as actions of an individual, group, or even a nation.

Some argue that there is no goodness nor evil in the world. There is only the world and nothing is good or evil in itself. However, a casual glimpse at the world reveals suffering and sacrifice, death and life, good and evil. I am not writing to debate the existence of either, but today, I am concerned with how we respond to the evil present in the world. Are we actively countering evil, or are we passively allowing it to exist?

I am not writing to challenge anyone for their passivity toward our area of interest: human trafficking and exploitation. I am asking the question, why am I doing, why are you doing what you are doing or not doing about this evil? What leads us to be a passive or active bystander in the face of such an atrocity inflicted on other people?

We are bystanders viewing the world. Some watch the world go by, good and evil, without ever intersecting. Then, there are those who actively address evil in the world by actively engaging by actions countering the evil. Why does one take one road and another person take the other road? What moves a person to become an active bystander addressing an evil?

I speak to churches and civic clubs to present the problem of human trafficking in the world. Some are eager to speak with me to find out how they can help. Some do everything they can to avoid me after hearing the subject matter. Why do some run to help and some run away to keep from helping?

The bystander effect is an interesting phenomenon that states the more bystanders are present at the scene of a crime or evil act, the less likely there will be anyone who will intervene to assist the victim. There are circumstances that can sway the outcome and move a passive bystander to offer assistance. Now we consider the crisis of human trafficking that result in sexual and labor exploitation of the most vulnerable among us. The problem is widely publicized. Every country deals with the problem of trafficking in some fashion. However, there are very few that come to the aide of those in need.

To be presented with the problem of human trafficking and then, take action to rectify the problem calls for what Ervin Staub in his book, The Psychology of Good and Evil: Why children, adults, and groups help and harm others, identifies as moral courage. Moral courage is the ability and willingness to act in accordance to one's values in the face of danger, disapproval, or cost to oneself. I think maybe our ability to assist others in their time of need is overshadowed by our need for personal comfort. Is it that our need for ease short-circuits the benevolent nature.  Then, at other times a person may posses the ability to act with  moral courage and engage actively, but their willingness is not there. They possess the ability and the willingness, but decide not to help. These are thoughts I plan to explore in the coming days.

This is the first in a series of blogs where I am thinking about Good and Evil and how we respond to the problem of human trafficking. I invite your comments.