Friday, August 28, 2009

do something

He resides himself to his own misery and orders a double brandy. “Rough day?” The bartender asks. “You can say that, I pulled a guy out of a burning car.” “Wow! You’re some sort of hero!” The man sinks his head in his hands: “I wish that were true. A few seconds after I pulled him out, someone who had a fire extinguisher in their car put out the fire. The paramedics said the man will be paralysed for life, either because of the accident, or because I pulled him out of the car.” The bartender nods repeatedly, as if at a loss for words. He hands the man his drink. “You should feel very proud of yourself.” The man raises an eyebrow as he sips his brandy. “You were in a very difficult situation today, but you did something about it. What are the odds that someone had an extinguisher so close by? It was much more likely that he would have burnt to death if you didn’t pull him out. Retrospectively, you might not have done the right thing, but in that moment you did nothing wrong.”

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Personally it’s much easier for me to justify doing the wrong thing than doing nothing at all. If there is something in your life that you are procrastinating about, consider the possibility that it might be easier on you to do the wrong thing, than to do nothing at all.

16 comments:

  1. although this does feel like a catch 22... instintively i agree with rather doing something (even if it turns our wrong), rather than doing nothing...

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  2. totally agree with you, it is better doing smth and than regreting it, than doing nothing and wondering the whole life what would have been if you had done it... after all, even if you regret what you have done, it is a good experience. I love your blog :)

    nath

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  3. Again... I agree witj you.
    Hence... the testing oneself...
    But one thing I can asure you... for just being... one can make a difference, be the so much needed hero... and you know what I mean...

    Love,

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  4. i agree with you. i would much rather wrestle with the knowledge of knowing "I tried to help", instead of, "I wish I would have."

    an insightful and challenging post,
    smiles,

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  5. Wow! To think I was just stopping by to say thanks for following....

    I don't think I could've found anything more perfect for me to read write now. This applies to my lifestyle in every aspect. I've always had this fault of quitting or never trying for fear of failure. It was never okay to fail in the home I grew up in so I never to it upon myself to learn how to pick up & move on.

    Magnificent post, my friend.

    Oh, on a random note - I'm a HUGE House fan. I recently saw an episode in which the patient of the day said, "When you feel stuck in a place, the only wrong thing to do is nothing." This, as well as your post, gives me chills.

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  6. the thing about this, is you are right, it is better to act rather than to sit back and do nothing; although, what a haunting perspective to place it in, I'll take a double! :)

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  7. wow this story really made me think.
    that's a wise bartender. i feel bad for the guy though; i would feel terrible too if i did something like that.

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  8. Nice story ^^ That makes me think... Most of us (maybe 99.9%) are not fortune tellers, we don't know what will coming up! and CHANCES just pass along with TIMES quickly... If hesitate, we would loose CHANCES. The result GOOD or BAD just know after it has done... So better acting (if we feel it good) than just watching...

    Thanks for sharing ^^

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  9. wow! this is something i never gave thought to. always thought it's better to do the right thing, or nothing at all. you've given me something to think about now... :)

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  10. thats quite insightful.
    but i'd still rather do something, even if i regret it later, than do nothing at all

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  11. I always believe that God has a plan for everyone and in the end everything will fall into place. Its His way of working. He is teaching us. Its better to learn from our mistakes than not even try.

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  12. This is so thought provoking.

    If faced with the situation above (if I were the bartender for example), I would have been totally at a loss as to what to say to the poor guy. But now, I see this particular situation from a different point of view. Thanks :)

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  13. i read this and then moved on to previous and then previous and again... until I read all..

    you are amazing dude!!

    keep it up.. I don't say anything about this post because i am mixed(?)..

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  14. just found your blog and wish i had earlier! wow. i love it. X

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  15. Doing nothing at all doesn't sound right..

    doing something even though it may turn out wrong is better than doing nothing :)

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  16. sorry for being a horrible follower and not commenting religiously but..

    hey, this is awesome! i mean, i think this advice is universal. it's better to do something than nothing at all.

    i've been telling myself that this whole month. so far it's working. i mean sometimes, i make the dumbest mistakes but it's better to try. i have nothing to lose.

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