Maybe this has to do with the crippling Bystander Effect, but there weren't that many people around at the time, considering this is New York City. I just felt sad that accidents and other bad things happen everyday that people can't escape because of the nature of the human brain. We need time to process occurrences and then our own reactions.
Or maybe my delayed response was due to the fact that I was scared the old man would reject my aid. I thought, who gave me the right to touch him if he wasn't indeed in so much trouble? I had an inner dialogue within a millisecond, and I chose not to do anything.
Anyway, on a lighter note, I came across the following quote during my work today. I liked it.
To enjoy anything, we cannot be attached to it. What we usually try to do is capture any joy that comes our way before it can escape. We try to cling to pleasure, but all we succeed in doing is making ourselves frustrated because, whatever it promises, pleasure simply cannot last. But if I am willing to kiss the joy as it flies, I say, 'Yes, this moment is beautiful. I won't grab it. I'll let it go.' And I live with a mind at peace and a heart untroubled. Pleasure comes and goes. When it goes, we don't need to cling to memories of the past happiness or dwell on when it may come again. When we turn to the past yearning, we are running away from the present. When we propel ourselves into the future in anticipation, we are running away from the present. This is the secret of the world's spiritual tradition called detachment: If we don't cling to past or future we live entirely here and now, in 'Eternity's sunrise.'-
