The Lifeguard

It was the lifeguard's first day on duty and he was already a little concerned that his new position had been "open" for a while when he applied for it. This is because he had heard of how busy the beach was, and so he personally wondered how such a busy beach could go without a lifeguard on duty.

It was an otherwise peaceful day. The sun was shining. There were many people in the water, hundreds of them. After about an hour, he noticed that most people who entered the water didn't leave, and the ones who were far out were treading water and had been doing so for the entire hour.

He saw one of the heads dip under, so he grabbed his floater and dashed out to the deep. The person whose head had gone under appeared to be exhausted from treading water. An additional concern in the back of his mind was

"How many more of all of these people out here are getting exhausted right now, from treading water for so long?"

He attempted a forceful rescue, but the person fought against him, and actually worked to pull him down under the water instead of letting him pull her up and out of the water.

He let go and, because she was deliberately pulling him under, he took a few seconds to catch his breath, and then tried once again--getting the same result. He attempted conversation:

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Lifeguard: I noticed that you won't let me forcefully rescue you.

Woman: Yep.

Lifeguard: Before you completely drown out here, can I ask why?

Woman: I've taken some personal ownership in my own life-struggles, even personal pride, and here you come in like some kind of a knight on a white horse in order to forcefully give me what it is that you think I need.

Lifeguard: Wow! I didn't even know that people like you existed!

Woman: That's because you're a lifeguard, someone very young and very strong, but not necessarily psychologically wise. I forgive your naivety.

Lifeguard: So ... where does that leave us? Am I to just leave you out here to die?

Woman: Actually, because you had the concerned patience required in order to make me psychologically visible and validated--will you please rescue me now? My arms are very tired.

[after rescue, the lifeguard asks for advice]

Lifeguard: Now that I've rescued you, bringing you back to the safety of the beach, will you please offer advice as to how I am to approach the others? There are dozens and dozens of people out there who have been treading water for over an hour now and, soon, they will start drowning too.

Woman: As you approach each of them, remember that they each have a rich internal life and that you only see the outside when you attempt to physically save them. People are more than just physical bodies, they also have minds and souls. If you cannot bring yourself to respect these "nonphysical" aspects of human beings, then you will not thrive, but will instead become frustrated like the others and quit.

Lifeguard: Yeah, I had wondered before why the lifeguard position had been "open" for a while, and at such a busy beach!

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The End

Image Attribution

Page URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spasilac_u_akciji_2.JPG
Attribution: Milosspsnd [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]