The Swimmers
I would like to tell you a story, a modern parable if you will, that happened in a coastal town not too far way from here. It was a hot and sunny day and the beach was crowded. The beach was a popular vaction spot for families, with its white sand and clear blue water. It so happened that on this particular day a boy was swimming in the ocean and began to drown. The boy tried to scream for help as he gasped for air and thrashed in the water. The boy’s fate was obvious to anyone who happened to notice what was going on; he was going to die.
As the boy struggled for survival, four men noticed his peril. The first man looked for a moment and at first was so startled that he began to go in after the boy, even shouting out “HELP! The boy is going to drown!” But just as he reached the edge of the water, the man realized that he didn’t have on the proper attire for going in. As a matter of fact, he was wearing his favorite outfit and didn’t want to take any chances of getting it dirty or tearing it. Surely there was someone else who could save the boy.
Another man had noticed the boy as well and had had a similar initial reaction as the first man. However, as he reached the edge of the water and was just about to go in after the boy he too stopped. For he realized that if he was to swim out to where the boy was drowning, someone might make the mistake of thinking he was also drowning and try to save him. This would completely shatter his reputation of being a good swimmer, and at the next weekly “good swimmers” meeting he was sure he would get funny looks, and might even be labeled a “weak swimmer.” He knew the boy was in danger, but it was just too risky. After all he did have a reputation to keep up. He figured that there were plenty of other people with less at stake who could save the boy, and so he stayed on the shore.
There was a third man who noticed the boy and knew the boy’s fate if no one helped him. The man was with a large group of family and friends who also saw the boy. However, no one in the group went in to save the boy because it wasn’t their job, it wasn’t their role. No, they weren’t the “hands on” type, they were the cheerleaders and the supporters. At beaches with professional life guards they would send money to help pay for their services. They would give towels to those who went into the water to save people who were drowning. They would even shout words of acclamation and encouragement as one went out into the water on a “rescue mission,” as they called it. There were some in the group who upon seeing a need so close in proximity wanted to go in after the boy. But the leaders of the group reminded them of all the responsibilities that needed to be fulfilled there on the beach, and that there were others who could go in the water. And so the spark that might have turned into a blazing passion for “rescue missions” was quickly doused out with busyness.
Finally there was the fourth man, who also saw the boy’s danger. This man was really no different than the other three, he had on nice clothes, he was known as a good swimmer, and he took part in supporting other rescue missions. He even had the same itnitial reaction as the other three men. Yet when he reached the water’s edge there was no hesitation as he plowed into the surf and began quickly swimming toward the boy with all of his might. The man knew the danger the boy was in and what the outcome would be if no one reached him in time, and so nothing else mattered. For you see, it hadn’t been too long ago that this man had almost drown but had been pulled up from certain death. He never forgot what his rescuer had told him that day…”Just as I have rescued you, you go and rescue others.”
The fourth man and the boy are alive and well today. And not only does the man continue to rescue those he sees drowning, but the boy does so as well.
As for the other three men, they probably would have been better off thrashing and screaming in the water. At least then someone would have known they were drowning.
