Good News Tuesday: Bystanders, A Man of Peace, and Teamwork on the Trail

July 23, 2019 by JoAnna 20 Comments

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

 

Bystander Myth Debunked – People Help Each Other

New research confirms my belief that the larger the crowd, the more potential helpers there are. “The study finds that in nine out of 10 incidents, at least one bystander intervened, with an average of 3.8 interveners.” The abstract from American Psychologist stated that “typically several” people will help. The old “bystander effect” myth was apparently started by research done in a laboratory and possibly reports of unfortunate but exceptional incidents. The new study used data from surveillance videos of arguments or assaults in the three large and diverse cities of Amsterdam, Cape Town, and Lancaster, England and found no significant differences in helping between these cities.

It suggests that people are willing to self-police to protect their communities and others. That’s in line with the research of urban criminologist Patrick Sharkey, who finds that stronger neighborhood organizations, not a higher quantity of policing, have fueled the Great Crime Decline.

You can read more about the study published in American Psychologist in this article from Citylab

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Honoring A Man of Peace and Harmony

“An 83-year-old Muslim cleric who hid 262 Christians (and Muslims) in his home and mosque during an attack in central Nigeria” was honored Wednesday in Washington. The Imam, Abubakar Abdullahi, < (click his name for a moving interview) along with four religious leaders from Sudan, Iraq, Brazil and Cyprus, were awarded the 2019 the International Religious Freedom Award. Here’s the story from CNN.

“God had a reason for creating us as diverse humans. No one has a reason to question the existence of the other. If God had wanted otherwise, he would have created us the same. We must embrace the diversity that God has created and strive to live in peace with each other everywhere in the world…. God wants us to live together in peace…. We should all respect one another. Follow the rules and be selfless advocates for peace.”

Imam, Abubakar Abdullahi

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On the Trail

Melanie was born with spina bifida and uses a wheelchair to get around. Trevor became blind recently due to glaucoma. They both live in Colorado and met in an adaptive adaptive boxing class. What a wonderful adventure it must have been to realize they could hike together as a team! She’s the eyes; he’s the legs. Check it out!

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