英文自修164：自我牺牲

I was deeply moved by the story of the young man who died on Saturday having rescued two boys from the sea at West Wittering. We don’t even know his name, yet his heroism deserves recognition 值得肯定.

Plamen Petkov has been honoured for his "self-sacrifice and courage"

It’s hard to imagine - relaxing on the beach, suddenly faced with a life-and-death crisis, demanding a response. However, he weighed up the risks involved 衡量了可能遇到的危险, he did what he felt was right in the moment; he successfully saved the boys – but at the tragic cost of his own life.

The Hindu scripture 印度教经卷, Srimad Bhagavatam 博伽瓦谭, praises the spirit of such selfless bravery: “Accepting personal risk to mitigate （reduce） the distress of others is the highest form of worship.”

And, as I see the images of the massacre (killing a lot of people) at Houla in Syria, I’m wondering: Are we standing on the shoreline watching children and innocent civilians 平民 in danger, but not daring to act because we’re weighing up the risks and implications?

The circumstances in Syria are highly complicated and compounded （made more coplex) by the surrounding international politics. No one can really say with certainty what measure will yield (have) guaranteed positive results 保证获得积极成果. We need to fully and rationally consider the ramifications 各种可能后果 of any action; but, ironically, focussing on the outcome isn’t always the best way to decide what to do.

Calculating the end result invites （gets） us to build in selfish motivations. And, whether our intentions are good, bad or mixed, it’s also affected by the Law of Unintended Consequences 非本意后果原则. Hinduism does ask us to live mindfully and to consider the likely results of any action; but life is so complex, we can never predict what the future result will be. So, the Vedic message is: don’t embark on something on the basis that you believe you know what the outcome will be – do it because it’s the right moral action in the current circumstances. We can rarely prophesy what action will ensure a better future – so better we apply our intelligence in identifying the best thing that ought to be done now.

The Bhagavatam continues: “People bewildered by their fears and desires and so fight amongst themselves. But, those who have compassion, the means and the opportunity should feel a duty to protect and save them.”

Has the awareness of the massacre at Houla brought the international community to a tipping-point 临界点? Maybe. But, if we are not to act at this time, it should not be because we cannot predict the political and social ramifications. And, if we are to act, it shouldn’t be a reaction out of revulsion 强烈的反感, anger or retribution (revenge). It must be like that 25 year-old on the beach at West Wittering – because people are in trouble and I’ve heard their call for help.