It's Your Call
/When facing the perceived “crises” on collision course in our minds every day, we need not be limited by beliefs we've inherited or rules that we’ve learned to follow, particularly when they don't serve our purpose anymore. An article about a 65 year old Kamloops man whose quick-thinking saved a teenager's life comes to mind.
The man is a Sikh farmer who lives close to the North Thomson River out west in British Columbia. He and his son raced to the riverbank along their property when they noticed a girl struggling in the water, which was frigid at that time of year. With no branches or anything else to reach out to her, the father untied his turban and launched it into the river, giving the girl a lifeline to latch onto.
Together father and son pulled the shivering girl ashore, wrapped her in a blanket and delivered her safely to her grandmother’s house nearby. When the ordeal was over, the son noted how unusual it was to see his father’s hair outside of their family home. “It’s a religious thing,” he pointed out. “You keep your head covered.”
Adhere to a religious mandate or disobey to save a life. High stakes, right out of the blue. This young woman's life or death crisis became a crisis for an older man's faith. Without hesitation, the farmer stepped outside of a prescribed religious path, embraced the unknown, and exercised his freedom to choose.
Crisis can bring clarity, even quiet chaos. Humanity will not be deterred.