Stuck in the Snow Bank

Alright, first of all... I hate early mornings. You may say, "Well, you're not going to like your summer job with the City then!" ... We'll see how that goes... BUT, for now, I cannot stand waking up early; especially for school. When I do, I literally feel sick with a cold and a splitting headache, not to mention being exhausted. It's the worst. It's also bad when it's snowing/freezing temperatures and you're waiting with ~30 other people at the bus stop on Bishop Grandin as already full buses drive by you.

I'm sorry for using this time to vent my frustration, but there will be a purpose to this post, I promise.

So as the 30 of us were waiting for the next bus with some standing space, I noticed that an SUV had swerved up and into the snow bank. The driver was spinning the wheels hard and they just kept digging, sinking the vehicle further into the trap. I realized that no one was stopping to help and that the 30 of us waiting for the bus didn't even care (even though we were doing nothing, just waiting for a bus that wasn't even in sight yet).

It's strange how in large groups of people, everyone believes that someone else will step forward and help. I don't know the specifics (I believe it was in Montreal, years ago), but the best example, though extreme, would be when a woman was stabbed within her apartment block and was screaming for help. The stabber fled due to the screaming but then came back to finish the job because even though people heard her screaming, no one came to her rescue or called 911. Everyone thought someone else had it covered!

Life Lesson: Take the initiative.

Okay, back to my story. It bothered me that I stood there and watched for 5 minutes without doing anything. So I decided to be a good Samaritan and head over to the vehicle to see if I could help. I tried to rock the vehicle back and forth with her (the driver's) help, but there was just no use once I saw that the right front tire was completely submerged in the snow bank. Thankfully, two other people stopped to help and one had a truck with a heavy duty tow-rope! Boom, he pulled her out pretty easily. And that was that.

I didn't write this to sing myself some praise. Since deciding to major in Psychology, I've opened my eyes to look for certain situations (especially behavioural) to study and analyze. In this situation, if I hadn't gone to help, how long would it have taken for someone else to stop and help? It's easier to go out of your way to help someone if you see another already in the process, right? Agree or not, that's what I think. The guy with the truck and tow-rope maybe would have stopped if I wasn't there anyways... who knows. Nonetheless, it felt good to help! If I was in that stressful situation, I know I would want the same help and concern from a stranger.

p.s. When she got out I should have asked for a ride to school, and then maybe I would have been on time. This was the fourth straight time I've stood on the bus... it's brutal, not gonna lie.