No Good Deed Goes Unpunished...?

Today, someone was telling me about a recent experience, by all accounts an awful one.

They had seen someone in trouble, and at great personal cost, in terms of safety as well as money, they had went to this person's very real rescue.

It didn't end well. Police were made aware, but were not very interested or concerned.

I can't go into details, as it isn't my story, but I think this person is a true hero. To act to protect a stranger, and put yourself in the path of danger, takes, in my opinion, a rare and special type of person. I'm not saying it is always an ideal way of dealing with a difficult situation, but often such situations have no ideal methods of management.

And so this person incurred great cost by acting as a good person.

In this sort of situation, would you be willing to act to protect a stranger, if you knew it meant you would, or could, be harmed? 

Would you turn a blind eye?

Have you been in such a situation?

I can't help but think of the phrase, "No good deed goes unpunished."

I remember a story I was told a long time ago, and may be an urban myth. I'm not sure. But it concerned someone on a plane who suddenly could not breathe. A doctor, also a passenger, had performed some "on the spot" surgery, saving the person's life. Later this same person who had been at the point of death, sued the doctor for the traumatic procedure and lasting scar.

Then every so often you may hear stories of someone pretending to pass out at the side of a road, and steal people's cars when they pull over to help.

It would seem, in our society, the good Samaritan has no real motivation to perform good deeds, other than a personal drive to do right by their fellow man.

I only hope that if I am ever in such need, a person will be willing to stop and offer help. It could be your child, or sibling, or parent. Wouldn't you want to know decent people are out there, ready to stand by you, shoulder to shoulder, when things get difficult?