by Jason M. Castle

Created on: December 08, 2008

It's funny how you look at the world when your back is against the wall. When you think that your closest friends are the ones plotting against you. Then you have a shift, something happens and what was true a moment ago no longer means anything.

Two nights ago I held a man's head together. Me and a friend of mine did not even flinch. We just did what was necessary. This is the third or fourth time I have helped someone like this. I mean all the petty bickering and backbiting people do. All of the trash talking people do because THEY are scared of being hurt. It really means nothing.

For me, I know with out a doubt if one of my enemies was bleeding on the ground like that guy was the other night I still would have done what I did. I may be the last person to hear him speak and I can't remember his name.

Their he was, having fun at a concert and somebody else got drunk. Then he was on his back a big 250 pound biker guy laying in a pool of his own blood. Some stranger holding his head so that he did not die. He just kept asking me "...What happened...".

Like I said earlier this is not the first time I have been in this situation, I helped a 22 year old pregnant woman once who was thrown from a car and would have died because she disappeared in the crowd around the accident because she did not speak English and was afraid. Her husband died in that crash but I believe her baby lived.I don't know their names either.

What I do know is that I will do the same thing every time. I will help the people in need. It's strange that the fire chief in each situation has come to me and said "Thank you, good job." A professional but a stranger who recognizes an act of character to them for that day I am good enough.

Yet people that have called me friend, some who are like family(yes sometimes even real family) will find every excuse to point out my flaws. They sit around and talk to each other about how I am not good enough some how or what way I piss them off. To these people I say, most of you have never been truly tested. You have never looked death in the face(many times now) you are like children. Know this, you will be, it comes to every single person on this earth. When those days come and go know that no matter what happens I will not judge you for what you did in those moments of trial. Whether you did the right thing and where able to save some one or not. Know that in that moment of understanding, in that instance, then our kinship will be reborn. We will see with the same eyes, you will know my heart and why I push the way I do.

All of the things that I do in the end are really not about me, its not even about my past my family or any of that. It's about the people that I could not get to. Its about the people who have it worse than I do, the ones who don't have any hope. If I can make a movie, or write a story, or help out some musicians who want to make a positive difference. If I do that and something in there gives somebody else a dream and they survive with some happiness.

Seeing death so close always reminds me of how fragile I am. How special we all are, I can't think of a person that will read this that I would want to be where that man was Saturday night. He looked like he might have been somebodies grandpa, now what will they have for Christmas.

I guess in the end all I am really saying is the same old Christmas thing that we always hear just one more time..."Hey it's Christmas lets give of ourselves just a little more."Just take five minutes to put yourself in that persons position, then do something about it. All in all I hope everybody has a safe happy holiday.

No worries.

Learn more about this author, Jason M. Castle.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.