Good Samaritans: An Endangered Species

I had thought this particular species had gone extinct over the years and that accounts of them were only found in ‘ye old Bible’. Apparently not, since I’ve seen/heard of two separate accounts and another one was even experienced by my parents.

First was a on a local TV show. They had ‘tried’ some people to ‘find’ a good Samaritan. I did not get to watch the segment, but my mom told me that it was about a stranded individual and that the good deed was walking about a kilometer to the nearest gas station and getting some gas. Ordinarily, a kilometer’s run wouldn’t be too hard on anyone, but under the sweltering heat of a tropical sun, most people would think twice.

The incident happened in Baguio, the Philippines’ summer capital, but its still hot there during lunch. So this guy from the southern Philippines was there to look for work and he just happened upon the ‘distressed’ individual. Without any qualms, he went to the gas station and back and helped. Little did he know that by doing so, he would be rewarded with a plane ticket home (correct me if I’m wrong) and some other goodies.

Another ‘Good Samaritan’ was featured a few hours later on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Yeah, it’s also a reality TV show—I happen to like this one because it give some people a chance to start over by having a new home. It’s not like those other shows that embarrass the participants, make them go through weird stunts, and ask them personal questions. This one has its share of tears and frustration, but they all end up happy.

Perhaps a backgrounder is apt. This show chooses a family whose home they will renovate for free. Note that the family is usually those that need a new home and a new outlook in life, and since life begins at home… yeah you’ve all heard that (I won’t go into that now, I’ll reserve it for another post). The crew then goes to the house, greets the family (There is a lot of screaming here. Boy, oh boy! A new house?!), asks them what they would want in their new home, sends the family for a vacation, and then works at the site for 7 days. At the end of 7 days, the chosen family has a newly renovated home. Even more screaming at this part.

This one episdode was unique, the family wasn’t one they chose, but one that was nominated. It was all because a member of that family donated bone marrow and that saved a child’s life. The donor was a single mother and the recipient was, at that time, only 6 months old. The donor never knew that her selfless act had saved the child’s life. The donor and recipient apparently never met. Towards the end of the show, the donor and the child meet, the child is about 3 years old already and both moms cry as they hug each other, one thankful for saving her child’s life and the other for a new home that would keep her family together.

The third one is a story of an adventurous day that my parents had a few weeks ago. My aunt had just given birth and my parents went off to see her family and welcome my newest cousin into the coven. Hehehe. Just as they exited the highway, the car broke down. The car isn’t on that looks like it was about to breakdown anytime, it looked fine except for a clunking sound when you’ve turned the wheel too much to the side. Anyway, seeing as they were stranded for the meantime, Mom went off in search of a mechanic or at least someone who could assist her in looking for one. To make a very, very, very long story short, mom found a pair of mechanics, a dad and is son, just a few blocks away.

My parents had to leave the car overnight because it was not yet fit for driving until the next day, but the mechanics did not charge them for anything other than labor for changing the faulty car part. They could have charged a premium price for fixing the car, but they charged my parents an amount that was probably half of what my dad had expected to pay given the circumstances.

They still really do exist after all. Perhaps its up to us to find them. Who knows we might be one too. We can all add to their numbers and fill this society with good Samaritans. Has your life been touched by good Samaritans lately? Report a sighting here.