Tess Explains It All

“I think we’re all capable of being a hero. We all have it inside of us. But sometimes we arent given the opportunity.” – This is what my yoga instructor told us yesterday during the beginning of our class. He was discussing the 9/11 specials and footage on all the different news channels this last weekend.

He was telling us how after the first attack on New York, captains and crews of a large number of local boats all came into the attack zone to assist in the evacuation. These random boat crews had never practiced this, had never prepared for such an event, but somehow 300,000 to 1,000,000 people were evacuated from lower Manhattan by water. He said it so beautifully I wish I could quote him exactly. But basically it was that all of us, as humans, have it in us to be a hero. To help out a stranger in a time of crisis because it’s the right thing to do. It’s a natural instinct that just comes over us.

I just love that notion. As we walk around day to day, passing hundreds of people we will never speak to or ever connect with…it’s amazing to think that at any moment, a random person could save our lives. Or that we would save theirs.

The video above shows a guy being saved by nearby strangers, when he was stuck under a burning car just a few days ago. Everyone came together, without knowing the kid, without knowing each other, risking their own lives, to lift this car and pull  him out. It’s truly a beautiful thing.