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Originally Posted by WhatsUpGuys
Thanks Greg Fossilman , always liked and respected you and i heard you got robbed awhile ago and you fought them off and theywent running right? Well I dont believe that was possible in my situation and i frozeup i was scared. Who knows what these people were capable of?
Thanks for the kind words. My situation was different, as are all of them. I fought off my robbers because it seemed like the best way to not die. Not because I'm some badass. In your case as described, fighting would probably have increased your risk of death or serious injury, so better to give them the money/car/whatever.
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Anyway, hen you see someone in need of help isnt your initial reaction to help? I beeped my horn and got no response, i did it again and he just stood there; I just wanted to try to speak verbally with him, he could have been high on meth, hallucinating. Who the hell knows. What if he walked out into oncoming traffic? YOu cant just let someone die and you have to intervene at some point right?
No, you don't. If the choices appear to be between helping somebody who put themselves at risk by taking drugs or whatever, and putting yourself at risk, it is perfectly acceptable to pick yourself. Even if he might be an innocent victim, you have no requirement to risk yourself to help him. If you choose to do so, that's fine. I'm not saying you're wrong. Just understand that you are taking a risk, and that you are willing to do so.
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Also if i opened my window and said"cops coming dont worry" this potentially could have gotten them to panic, shoot me and try to get my car. Theres way too many unknowns when this stuff happens and i doubt anybody handles these situations "the correct way""the safest way"
Of course, you can never know. And once things go sideways, very few of us make the smartest choices in the stress of the moment, with so little time to think. My suggested course of action was a middle ground between driving away as expeditiously as possible, and getting out of the car to help. And I had time to think it through.
Please do not take anything I say as a condemnation of your actions. You did nothing wrong. And even if you took a risk, and didn't realize in the moment you were doing so, that doesn't mean you were wrong. It just means something didn't occur to you, and so you didn't take it into account.
I'm glad you and your friend weren't hurt, and that is the most important thing. But, the lesson for the future is, there are evil people in the world, who will hurt and kill you for very little reason. Do your best to protect yourself, but balance that with your good intentions to help those who need your help. We will all get it wrong sometimes. Like poker, we try to make the best decisions we can, and live with the results. And hopefully learn along the way, so that we make the best decision as often as possible.
Cheers, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)