wdyt?

Why not?

I think it's a great way to have a funeral....

I would have taken the kid to the food camp after I took the photo.

oops..... I have to say my response wasn't geared towards that pic..... I was responding to the title. For some reason I didn't see the pic

Those moments must be common for people visiting countries in crisis (should I do something?). There was a scene in The Constant Gardener the other night (movie about pharma companies using Africans as guinea pigs for TB trials in exchange for HIV meds) and someone wanted to give a lift to a family walking to a clinic, a night's walk away. They had a sick baby. The conversation went along these lines... "If we help them we should help everyone else. We should not interfere in their lives." So they did not take them.

I think pics like those are important. I think people need to be shocked out of their complacency.

We must remember the photographger would have been surrounded by men, children, babies and women, all starved, all dying. Who could he have helped?

The question then arises.... is helping one = helping no one?

I'm thinking no

What do you mean? Helping one is better than not helping?

yeah...

No one is asking us to save the world.... all we can do is our best and hope the collective effect gets us somewhere

There's an old story about an adult walking along the beach with their child. The tide was far out and as they pass a sandollar on the sand the child asked about its survival in the hot sun.  The adult replied that it would likley die while the ones left in tidal pools would survive.  The child immediately picked up the sandollar at its feet and ran a hundred feet to deposit it in a the nearest tidal pool and ran back with a smile from ear to ear.  The adult simply said there's thousands on the beach - you can't make a big difference.  To this the child responded "I did to that one"

That's true. The collective effort should not be underestimated.

But I also feel that if I started helping one person I could never leave. Where would you stop? How could you stop? 

That's a great story Bric. Don't you just love the hope in that child?

I think I heard the story about three decades ago.... and it has always inspired hope in me.

Kasta - from my trips to India and seeing beggers and young children at every corner.

The 2 rupees I gave them would probably not have made a huge dent in their poverty.... but I might have gotten them a meal for a day or two.

Also, Of course I never had enough for everyone, but its just not possible for me to provide for everyone (considering I was a kid then). So once again, I just do what I can. They suffer everyday. Every single day. If I can help , even for a few minutes, I consider it a job well done, a day well spent

That's a good philosophy. Bring it back to yourself and do what you can. It makes sense and those small and frequent acts do have a significant impact for the individuals...

I hate that picture and the idea that the photographer did nothing - and the discussion that comes as a result. I also dislike the fact that it won the Pulitzer Prize - why? Cause it's so shocking?

It is only people who are in a position to help that worry helping one versus helping no one.

why are they so afraid to help - why does helping one person mean you have to help everyone. Take the case of the photographer - if he were to carry the child to the UN camp, would that mean that everyone around them who was walking there also jump on him? NO!

If all those people were begging for help then they would hounding the photographer the moment they saw him instead of letting him take the photograph. Truth of the matter is that those people are so consumed by their own misery and focused on their own survival - they are not jumping on others to help them out.  

So the photographer could help out the kid - least he'd not be killing himself from the guilt months later.

him worrying that is he helped the kid then eveyone else would demand the same of him - or there is an expectation of likewise. Shows us how lowly we think of people.

One man cannot change the world, but he can change the world for one man

Well said

applause applause!!

Socks and Shoes a short story.

 One man person does change the world. In fact it is one of the only things that can.  It is often that person in a team, or that person in a tiny way compared to the entire 'stream' of life, but we all contribute to that stream.

EXACTLY!!!