Jeff Kanan
Tragedy struck in August when three rescue workers were killed while trying to save six people trapped in a Utah mine. Everyone heard the story.
A collapsing tunnel wall struck the three men who were part of an underground rescue effort searching for any signs of the miners who disappeared more than a week earlier.
Those rescue workers knowingly put themselves in danger.
They understood that searching underground meant unknown elements and lurking trouble.
Despite the dangers, they searched anyway.
Realizing that human beings were in mortal danger, the rescue workers put their own lives on the line in an attempt to rescue them.
They ultimately paid the price, but their daring rescue efforts bring up some important questions.
Are we as American citizens obligated to use whatever means available to help those in grave danger even if it could potentially mean putting our own lives on the line?
And, furthermore, where do we draw the line between helping others and looking out for our personal well-being?
These are difficult questions that require people to search deep within themselves. In order to find the answers, we must examine our role in society.
Firefighters and policemen cast themselves into the line of danger on a daily basis.
It’s their job to protect and serve society’s well-being, and they understand their actions can make a difference in saving others.
U.S. soldiers go one step further by traveling to other countries to ensure our well-being.
But is that job limited to just those occupations? Aren’t we all charged with the duty of looking out for the common good?
Everybody has an occupation that defines his day-to-day life whether it be pharmacy, music or writing.
Everyone fulfills a role in ensuring the common good.
But we also maintain a larger role, which is to watch out for the best interests of the greater community.
Sometimes, that duty requires standing in the line of danger, but we must follow through with those tasks, even if it means giving up our own lives.
With that in mind, the situation must require reasonable bounds.
Jumping off a 100-foot bridge to help someone flailing in the waters below is stupid.
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However, society’s main function is to look out for the best interest of the collective group.
Satisfying the greater good requires the removal of personal wants and everything else that gets in the way.
This can be a tough task at times because the media, the working world and our own desires tell us that personal well-being is top priority.
But in the context of a serious situation, we all feel obligated to help others whether or not it’s a risk to ourselves.
That feeling of obligation is common in humanity. We feel a connection to each other, even though it is a risk to our own lives.
We would hope that should the tables ever be turned, others would feel compelled to help out.
This exchange is a way for people to look out for one another despite any dangerous situation.
Is there any way you could see someone in danger and not help him or her? Sometimes people freeze up while others act in these situations.
It’s hard to fault someone for not acting without actually being in the dangerous situation yourself.
Those who do look beyond their own well-being in the midst of a serious situation are often referred to as heroes.
Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. recognzed the efforts the men put in at the mine and labeled them as heroes for giving up their lives so others could live.
“I can think of no better way to express your love for a fellow human being than to risk your life for someone else’s,” he said.
He said it best.
Jeff Kanan is a State News staff writer. Reach him at kananjef@msu.edu.
