Category Archives: Altruism

December 22, 2025 · 5:21 am

The Research Studies Quoted by CNN Showed, Only Ten-Percent of Citizens Would Fight Off the Assailants to Protect Others

What might drive us to put ourselves in harms’ way to save the lives of others?  Off of the Front Page Sections, translated…

CNN reported, that in the major violent crimes, the instincts of most people is to flee the scene, but there are those who, disregarded their own safety, and ran toward danger, to attempt to stop the assailants in these violent attacks to save the lives of others.  Experts point out, there’s only around ten-percent of total population who would show these sorts of heroic, behaviors.

why it’s believed that true altruism doesn’t exist, from five years ago, off of YouTube

The background of this report by CNN is based off of the Australian Bondi Beach shooting, how more than one civilians had, attempted to subdue the gunman, resulting in two deaths and one wounded.

The article didn’t mention other examples, and it’d made me recalled the random attacks on the MRT in Taipei on the nineteenth, a fifty-seven-year-old man, Yu as the attacker started stabbing at random, he’d blocked the assailant from attacking others on the trains, and he’d died.  In the two cases of the beach massacre and the attack on the Taipei MRT trains, the victims weren’t law enforcement, but they’d decided to step in to help save others’ lives.

Psychological and scientific studies showed, that these kinds of altruistic behaviors are rare.  The broadcasting of these altruistic behaviors from social media made the public misbelieves, that these kinds of life-saving actions are frequently occurring, but in reality, when most people are faced with violence without warning beforehand, they will freeze up, or run away to escape, due to our survival instincts, or we would, stay by, and observe, this is the bystander effect.

The neurology department by C.I.T. research suggested that some may offer a helping hand in time of crises, due to three key requirements: first, they knew that someone is in immediate danger, and felt empathy toward the victims; they instinctively believe that intervening “might help the situation”, that it wouldn’t be to no avail; they’d quickly made the decisions to step in, to help, “allowing their actions to surpass their own fears of the situations.”

The professor from Cal-Tech stated, that only ten-percent of total population have a stronger empathy, and are more than likely to offer a helping hand in times of crises, but this doesn’t mean, that others won’t be heroes.

why altruism is motivated by selfish reason…off of YouTube

Experts remind us, understanding of the heroic mindset isn’t to encourage that ordinary citizens should put themselves at risk.  The civilians in these situations of crises who weren’t trained to respond to these situations, should never pursue the suspect, gather around and record what was happening, start screaming, and other behaviors that may cause harm or dangers to the, self.

And so, this is on how the acts of altruism may only be from our instincts, because we see someone getting assaulted, attacked, and we feel that drive inside our own bodies (the adrenaline rushes, etc., etc., etc.) that we rush up to stop the assailant, and, we put our lives in harm’s way, and that is the definition of altruism: to help someone, despite how the risk of harm may come to oneself, and yet, most of the times, we fear that we won’t answer to our own good conscience, if we don’t help, so the motives of helping out is still, selfish, and that would not be, altruistic at all!

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October 27, 2025 · 2:20 am

The Disaster that Brought the Island’s People Together

It takes a major natural disaster like this, for the entire society to come together, to let go of our differences, and work together toward that, common goal of rebuilding the areas hit hardest, because this is our, home!  Translated…

On the three days off for the day of Confucius’s birth, there were a total of 60,000 “heroes with the shovels” who rushed into the locality for the rescues in disaster relief, like me, who’d come on a weekday after the long weekend, I’m only, one among, tens of, thousands who’d gone.  Other than the effects of passions taking over, many were wondering: where did this movement, begin?

One day after the quakes, there came a video on Threads, uncle (fine, based off of the age, I should call him, an “older brother”), I’d, shared with the tactiles of how to help out with that zealousness, he who’d gone first into the line of services to the rescue reliefs with his son stated, “go to the station to purchase a no-transfer fare to Guanfu, come here to find a family who loved playing in the mud, purchase a return ticket back home, shower, then sleep, simple as that.” The short line was, nearly, magical to me, it’d made me believe, that I could, get in line of the rescue efforts too.

the laypersons shovel crews that poured in, video from YouTube

Following, getting that train fare wasn’t, that simple.  The Taiwan railroad company had increased the routes, allowed for the purchasing for the standing tickets only too, but it’s not enough, to support the crowd that’s, heading there, normally, I’d, hated the groups of LINE, and I’d gone, wayward, adding my ID to all the rescue groups.  I’m certain, that during those few days, there were those like me, working really hard, to get my ticket to Hualien, running all over town for the shovels, the hoes, for the sole purpose of “playing in the mud” in Hualien.

The online community joked about how the Taiwanese people loved the huge crowds, totally, underestimating what drives us all, was the, love for this land.  Passing through the streets covered in the mud and the sand, we may need to walk for ten, twenty minutes to get to the location where our help is required and needed, and in the close-to-noon heat of feeling like forty-degrees Celsius, working outside three, four hours, I’d burned my scalp (didn’t put my hat on right, don’t take my example, kids!), the cubicle sitter whose hands only tapped on the keyboards, started blistering, my thighs and knees, gained a couple of, extra bruises from the shovels hitting while I dug up the mud.  Come on, this grueling task, normally, I wouldn’t do it, even if you pay me.

illustration from UDN.com

What was odd was, no matter how hard the manual labor was, there’s no thought of “who am I, where am, I” that surfaced to mind.  Being in the place where the mudslide had hit, that shock, got turned into “I want to do more to help”, which led us all who’d come, to move together, toward that, one, goal.

To tell the truth though, shoveling manually was tackling that impossible, task, running here from far away, to do this, even more, fruitless, unproductive.  This showed, the preciousness of the self-initiated disaster relief response of the inhabitants of this, island too—no matter it be the quick collected donations of goods from online, the endless supplies pouring in to the region, or the volunteers who were there locally to help out, that sense of togetherness, all I can say, that this is, unique to, the Taiwanese culture.

On the platform where the train was speeding toward, the locals held that banner of “Thanks you all, supermen with the shovels” up high, and they all bowed at ninety-degree angles toward those who’d come to assist, and there was the loud applauses, and the shouts of “keep working to help Guanfu make a full recovery” (I will never say that I’d cried until my cooling towel was covered in my own snot!).  On the way home, I’d looked toward that steady mountain, the tolerant ocean, my heart was filled with, gratitude.  I know I should not describe going to these rescue efforts as, exciting, but I’m glad, that I had the chance to, personally, get engaged in this.

Or maybe, in the reality of life, you and I have, different, points of views, this is still an island so full of love, of kindness, and we’re, all sharing this, environment.  The recalls of the disasters will always have pains, trials, and misery assigned to them, but, I believe, so long as we work together on the process of rebuilding, to get on this path of healing as a whole community, you will, get better, and we will, get better too.

So, this is, a memorable experience of you, going to offer the assistance to the regions hit by the floods from before, and being involved in the cleaning of the mess that the storms left behind personally, it helps you experience the pains and sorrows of others, made you empathic, and you’d, gained a better understanding of how we’re all, living together, on this island, that we should, take care of this land, and each other, that we should just, set our differences, aside, and stand in, unity!

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July 10, 2024 · 1:06 am

My Father’s Chopsticks

The busiest time of year for all these, volunteer firefighters, is on New Years, and they had to, give up the gathering at supper, and be out on call at any moment there’s an, emergency in their, neighborhoods, the dedication of these people are truly, amazing…translated…

Pop’s Ears, Seemed to Have, Gotten, Distracted to a Couple of Streets Away, Where the Alarms Came, Sounding………

On New Year’s Eve, mom finally took her, apron off, and, we’d all, filled up the table.  The family all, stared at, the table’s worth of wonderfully prepared dishes, waiting for the matriarch and patriarch to get the very first piece, then, the show of family gathering would be, on its, way.

But, pops had, dropped his, chopsticks abruptly, then, ran, off.

“He’s ringing the gong!”, mom told us.

I’d asked around the tables, and nobody else heard a single, noise.  But, pop’s ears, seemed to be elsewhere, not on the supper tables, his sense of hearing, drifted to a couple of streets out, and came the sounds…that’s, been reduced to, the tiny, chimes.

Pops forgot to start the meals for all the rest of us, in a few short strides, he’d, picked up the firefighter coat, hat, and his boots, all the way, as he ran off, he was, buttoning up the protective wear, ran out of the house.

I’d looked at pop’s chopsticks that didn’t have any oils on them, fallen from the tabletops to the, floors, like the two drumsticks, hitting the floor, and, it’d awakened another alert bell inside, and my heart paced too, quickly.

Mom, who appeared normal, but with her hands, trembling light, picked up the fallen chopsticks, unhurried, not the least bit, angered, said a prayer for my father’s safety, then, called out in dad’s place, “let’s, dig in!”

That year, after my father returned back from the firefight, there were the charcoal marks on his nose, he’d, hunched over, sat at the round table that’s no longer, under that bright light, and, gulfed down the reheated meal that my mother put out for him.  I’d pulled up a chair, and sat next to him, and, baked myself with the residual warmth that he’d carried home from the, fire.  As my younger siblings saw me doing so, they’d, followed, suit, and the whole family, sat close to one another together again, celebrated my father’s safe return on New Year’s Eve.  On the tables, we’d all, kept guard over my father who’s, eating the delayed supper, my father kept watch over our small town, and us too, with the tick and tock of that second hand, through the, years.

I’d asked my father, as a tailor, during the fires, he’d had to, hold that hose steady, to put out the blazes as a volunteer firefighter, wouldn’t he feel tired?

illustration from UDN.com

At the moment, I’d, become confused, as I’d not heard the expected words of how he was doing it for the sake of good for all, to save lives, to help people, etc., etc., etc., those answers that are, textbook-grade.  My father sipped on the heated soup, and, said, “it is only a hobby of mine.”

Later, thirty years passed, and my father’s volunteer firefighter uniform hung on the walls, and, made that, imprint on our, walls, became, our, family, and, we, getting hurt, and we didn’t even know where the first-aid kit was stored inside the house.

My father, became, a “shared mode”, whenever the fire alarms sounded, he would, forget completely that he was a man with a family, and just, rushed into the unknown dangers, to take care of someone else’s homes.  When he was still alive, I couldn’t understand it, it wasn’t until the day of his funeral, that everybody in the village came to pay their, respects, offering their condolences, honoring him in death, that was when I’d, realized, that by father’s dual identities and, how he’d become, a totally, different person, moment he’d left his scissors, and put on the, fire-protected wear.

That very first New Year’s Eve after my father was gone, the firecrackers still sounded off loud in that small, town, the fireworks blasted high up in the, skies.  It’s just, that before the supper tables, we are, one soldier, missing, with his forehead tightened, with the chopsticks in his hands, alert with every explosive noise from the firecrackers outside.

the professionalism of these volunteers, comparable to the firefighters working for the cities…photo from online

Sis asked, can we keep a seat for pops?

Mom told, based off of traditions, aren’t we supposed to, stand the chopsticks inside his bowl?

I’d responded, put the chopsticks by his bowl on the tables.  Pops is still sitting there.  And now, he would NOT, drop his chopsticks, then run off in a hurry, again.

And so, this is the dedication of a volunteer firefighter, and, he’s on call, on the busiest night of the year, New Year’s Eve, because of the huge celebratory mode that this small village is in, setting off the firecrackers, cooking the foods for the gatherings on the stoves, and, that’s why this is, the BUSIEST time of year for the volunteer firefighters, and while other people are gathered with their families on the table, they all have to be tentative, and listen really closely, to those, fire alarms that are about to, sound off, at any moment of the, evening…

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May 31, 2024 · 4:50 am

The High School Student Ran into the Fire SIX Times, to Rescue Out the Elderly Who Live Alone

An act of, ALTRUISM, by such a young lad, truly inspirational…off of the Front Page Sections, translated…

The Seventeen-Year-Old Jacob Lin After He Got Pulled Out of the Fire, Fell Limp & Went into a Coma, After He was Rushed to the E.R., He Was Okay, His Mother Told that She Was Proud of Him, and Called Him a Fool Too

Two days ago in the midnight hours, there was a residential fire in Miaoli, the seventy-year-old elderly who lives on his own was trapped inside his residence, the seventeen-year-old second year kinesiology department student, Lin ran into the apartment that was on fire six times, and before the firefighters arrived on site, he was able to rescue the elder, Lai out, afterwards, he’d fallen limp, and lost consciousness, was lifted by the paramedic with the elderly man to the hospital, both are okay.

As the news got out, the man in charge of the county government, Chung used the status of an “older schoolmate”, to visit Jacob in the hospital, and gave him offered him the gift of money for his act of bravery, and given him a red envelope on his own, promised that the county is to pay for all of his treatment and care; the national wrestling association, the Miaoli Wrestling association, and other units all sent him the things, affirmed his act of valor.

Lin is a tribesman of the Atayal tribe, also a wrestling competitor, he is from a lower economic background, listed as low income, he’d not signed up for his graduation trip next month, and as his act of bravery got known yesterday, his fellow classmates started a fundraiser, hoping him to be there on the graduation trips with the class. The P.T.A. had already, donated the amount for his trip.

Jacob Lin told, that two mornings ago at four in the morn, he was on his way out for the morning training sessions, outside of the super convenience shop not too far from the apartment fire, he and his good friend, a cashier of the store, Huang smelled something burning, and found that the apartment had, caught on fire, he’d had Huang call the emergency lines, took his shirt off, dipped his shirt in water, covered up his mouth and nose, and run into the burning building, and tried six times, and finally rescued the elderly man out.

the young man’s acto of bravery…

“It’s more than worth it, that a life is, saved!”, Lin recalled, there was only the smoke, and he’d not seen the fire in the place, so he didn’t know to be scared, first time he went in, he was only able to stay in the smoke for one, two minutes, the smoke was too thick, he’d gotten outside, taken the deep breaths; the first two times, he’d not found the elderly, the second time, his friend, Huang used a flashlight, that was when he’d found the elderly man, squatted by the aisle of the first floor, but they’d both run out of breath, ran back out, took the breaths, then, ran back in again.

The smokes were getting thicker then, the fourth time, they were able to pull the elder a bit farther, the fifth time, they’d pulled him to the living room, and, five times in, they couldn’t pull the man out; before he ran in a sixth time, he’d had difficulty breathing already, and used pure will, and finally dragged the elderly man out.

But Lin inhaled in too much smoke, by the time he’d gotten to the door of the super convenience store, he’d, passed out, when he woke again, he was in the hospital already.  As his mother talked of his actions, she’d blamed him for being “too impulsive, too foolish!”, but, as she’d heard others told her of her son’s act of bravery, she’d felt proud of him.

The principal of his high school, Hu told, that the elderly and Jacob Lin were both in stable condition yesterday, they are still in the hospital.  His homeroom instructor, Jeng told, that Lin’s going into the building SIX times to rescue the elder out, made everybody proud of him, but, as they thought back, they were, all very worried for him.

And so, this young man, he did NOT think, he saw the elderly man in need of rescue, and ran inside the burning building, and that is, an act of altruism, he’d only carried the thought of rescuing the elderly who was in the fire out, and not considered what would happen to his own wellbeing.

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May 27, 2024 · 9:44 am

The Love AND the Courage to, Stand UP and, Fight

Heroes, made by the, circumstances here, the acts of, altruism, in the recent attack of a stranger on the MRT in Taichung, off of the Front Page Sections, translated…

At around 10:50 on the morning of May 21st, I got out of the high-speed rail station, transferred to the adjacent platform for the Taichung MRT, I got on that last about-to-set-out train.  I was last to get on, but it wasn’t, much to choose from, so I’d, sat down by the priority seat next to the door, unimaginably, I witnessed, the attacks of passengers on the Taichung M.R.T. trains from beginning to end.

The train was moving speedily, I closed my eyes, in meditation, thought about the lecture I was to give this afternoon, “was Taiping Island an island or is it just, a reef?”, this question is filled with the ambiguities, and the eccentricity on its own, but will the students care?  This course I’m teaching is in the name of the oceanography, or is it, a power struggle of, international, politics?

In my meditation, suddenly I’d heard from the left, “knife!  Knife!”, then, the screaming, escaping passengers flew past my sight.  I’d turned to look back, the left side of the train, already, completely, vacant.  There were, three, to five, passengers who were, brawling toward me.  I’d decided, to not move an inch, took my laptop carrier from my back, placed it in front of me, to use as a shield; then, wrapped the carrying strap around my right wrist, to be used as a whiplash like a weapon to defend myself with.  As everything had been set, I’d, turned on my cell phone and, started recording the brawl, and, in a split second’s time, the fight was to my immediate, left; one of the individual with blood running down his face, a sharpened gaze, glared at me (that was the one that the online called “ponytail guy” later); then, with his back turned towards me, he’d, looked straight at the perpetrator (the one in the brown shirt), kept moving backwards, defensively.  Then suddenly, my sight was block by a large man who was wearing black, he’d, arched his back, moved toward the perp with the knife head on!  Later, I’d learned, that he was, stepping up, fighting the attacker, to protect his own, wife who’s, seated behind him.

the man in the black shirt, that stepped up to protect the rest…

This man in the black shirt was, brave beyond any doubt, he’d moved forward, blocked my view, and separated me from the danger zones.  The perp moved away from the guy in the ponytail, with the knife in his right hand, started swing the knife forward, and at this moment, there is, no more, extra, room in the train, everybody was cramped behind the man in the black shirt.  And, none of us knew, how the man in the black dodged the sharpened blade, and how he’d, managed to get behind the perp, using his left arm, to keep the hand with the knife pinned, and wrapped his right arm around the perp so he couldn’t, move, pinned him to the door on the left side, and, the train had arrived in City Hall station then, the door on the right side slid open, and everybody rushed out to escape; but the passengers cramped on the left side of the train, squeezed tight behind the man in the black shirt, started using their fists, and started beating at the head of the subdued perp, and of them, was the foreign woman who was chased down by him (in a blue top with the white flowers, her back covered in blood, don’t know when she got the blood on her).

I’d estimated, that the whole thing took around, fifty-six seconds, the start of the incident was at around 11:16:50 in the morning give or take.  In the process, the man in shorts that grabbed the knife away from the perp’s hand, the man who’d chased after the perp with his umbrella, who’d mistakenly hit the wrong person, the brave guy who fought the perp in the, ponytail, along with the man in the black shirt, who’d cornered the perp, scene after scene, the members of the public all chipped in, to dissolve what may have easily turned into, a bloodshed situation.

I was quite calm in the time being, but later on, I’d felt, shocked when nothing was, happening, that very evening, I couldn’t, fall, asleep.  My friends told me to go to the temples to get exorcised, or to go to counseling.  At the time, in that closed in space, if everybody did nothing, allowing the perp to attack, I can’t imagine the outcomes.  This was, an unscripted cooperation by strangers without notice beforehand, the scenes came too fast one right after the next, and the next, testing your courage, your strength, as well as, your love.

Our society is ill, but, there are more people, with the love, who are healthy, and brave.  The group of strangers worked together, in a short minute’s time, ended this, might have turned into bloodshed of a crisis.  I’m grateful to those whom I’d shared the trains with on the day, wishing them the best.  May the heavens watch over this world, this world can have a little less of the violence, the society, more at, peace.

So, this is, how the individuals in this, situation stepped up, to keep each other safe, and you only need a person, to step up first, then the rest of the crowd will, follow suit, and thankful, this incident wasn’t an embodiment of the bystander effect, the diffusion of responsibilities, otherwise, it wouldn’t have ended like it had, with only minor, injuries, and no death!

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May 25, 2024 · 3:55 am

The Parents of the Adolescent Who Was Hacked in Trying to Protect Everybody on the Taichung M.R.T. from Getting Injured by the Perpetrator with the Knife Chose to Forgive the Suspect

The parents of the teenager attacked chose to forgive the perp, and gave a possible way to keep the public transportation safer, this is something that was positive that came out of this, attack on the public at random…off of the Newspapers, translated…

With Plans of Donating the Shields, the Batons to the M.R.T. Stations, the Taichung M.R.T. Company Responded: Giving the Security a Boost

“We don’t want your apology, we’d already, forgiven the suspect, Hong.”  The random hacking on the Green Route of the Taichung MRT, the seventeen-year-old high school student, Lu sustained three serious hacking injuries, the mother of Lu publicized a letter of forgiveness toward the suspect, Hong, stated that she doesn’t hate him, and can empathize with what he’s going through, and the parents of the brave teen also mentioned, “thankful our son go attacked first, if it were a child, an elderly person, a pregnant woman, we can’t, imagine it!”, Lu’s father stated, that he will give the body shields, the safety batons that he’d designed personally to place in the trains of the Taichung M.R.T.s.

On this, the Taichung M.R.T. Company stated, that the entire line had been equipped with the security gadgets, the security guards are already fully equipped with the batons, the whistles too, that every single station had the settings of the defense sticks, the shields, as well as the pepper sprays too; after the attack on the Taichung M.R.T., they’d sent more police forces, more security guards to patrol the stations, Lu’s father’s and the suggestions on improving the safety of the Taichung M.R.T., the Taichung M.R.T. Company will continue to take into considerations and discuss.

The accident of hacking on the M.R.T. in Taichung, resulted in two passengers injured, and the suspect too, of them, the teen, Lu was the first to get hacked, he’d sustained three hacking wounds, after he was taken into the E.R., they’d cleared off the tissues that were damaged, he was sutured up, and the broken ribs, stabilized with the steel wires, two days ago, he was transferred from the I.C.U. to the regular ward.

the young man, recalled the attack, video on YouTube

Lu’s mother publicized a letter, thank god, thank for all of the brave bystanders, and mentioned, “thank heavens my son was hacked first, had it been a young child, an elder, or a pregnant woman, I cant even, imagine it.”

Lu’s mother told the press, that she’d not hated Hong the suspect, that she could, empathize where he was, coming from, only hoped, that Hong would admit to his own mistake, to let go of the hatred he’d felt inside of him, to change his thoughts to kindness more, that no apologies are necessary to her son, her families, “we’d already forgiven the suspect.”

Yesterday, Lu’s father was interviewed, and told, that his son can already walk around now, the city offered the teen a life-long free pass on the M.R.T., he’d asked his son, “Do you dare ride on the M.R.T. again?”, the adolescent responded, “of course, I have full faith in the Taichung M.R.T. systems!”; the adolescent loved playing basketball, but the three wounds on him, the one on his back, hacked his bone in half, the surgeon told him, that he would need to stay off the courts for three to six months.

“The knife was hacked on the heart of every single father, I truly hope, that this hurt ends with, me.”  But Lu’s parents told yesterday, that they’d not blamed the suspect, Hong, and hoped that this tragedy can somehow, have a, positive, influence.

Lu’s father stated, that as the attack had happened, a lot of the passengers on the train had protected themselves using their, umbrellas, and, had someone used something to protect themselves that’s, viable, then, there would’ve been, a whole lot less, injuries, he’d also, offered up the shields, the baton he’d designed, suggested it be in place in the trains of the M.R.T. in Taichung, and this is estimated to cost around two million dollars N.T., that he would donate the funding for the purchases, to keep all parents away from this sort of an incident in Taiwan again.

So, this is, something positive, more or less, that came out of, the tragic, attack on the M.R.T.s, and, this is a good thought, but, this is still, the “treatment” of the problem, and if things were done to prevent this, then, it would be even, better, and maybe, there would be a need for the metal detectors set at every major station of the M.R.T., to prevent things like this from happening again.

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April 8, 2024 · 5:23 am

The Hero with His Own Injuries, Ran for Two Kilometers, Got the Injured to the Hospital

The act of, ALTRUISM, from the thought of helping to save a man’s life, getting him to safety, getting him out of the underpass, so the injured person can get, treated for his, injuries, putting his own life in danger, but he didn’t care, because he was, driven, to save the individual’s life!  Off of the Front Page Sections, translated…

The Pingdong Fire Department’s Specialist Search Squad’s volunteer lieutenant of the firefighters, Lai followed the teams of rescuers deep, into Hualien where the earthquake hit the hardest, with a dish rag, a belt, makeshift gurney made from the branches, carried the injured person with a fracture on his back, ran almost two kilometers, to a safe location to get the individual the needed medical assistance, his act of bravery was commended.  He told, that there were the rocks from the residual quakes falling down, that any rock that fell, will kill people’s lives, and the only thought he had was, getting the injured out of those zones, to safety, as he ran, he’d, dodged the, fallen, rocks.

Meng was from the Jia-Mu Tribe of Pingdong, he’d gone with three youths from his same village during the major typhoon Morakot and assisted hundreds from his tribe to get to safety, gained the name of “four heroes of Jiamu”.  As the quake in Hualien happened on April 3rd, Lai followed the search and rescue teams to Hualien in the shortest time, after they’d completed the rescue mission at the Uranus Building, he was immediately sent to the mountains to help with the rescues.

the rescue teams, on their rescues of the trapped tourists, from YouTube

At 7:30 in the morning on the fifth, Lai and his teammate got into the Jiuchu Cave in Taroko, at nine, they’d come across five men and four women, a total of nine who were trapped, of them, the man, Tseng of around age fifty sustained a left wrist fracture, the laceration on his left foot caused his foot to swell, after assessing, Lai used the long board to haul the injured man out, other than that it’d required six other rescuers, it’d also, added the risks, and he’d, decided to, carrying the injured man himself out of the collapsed cave, then, get him to safety and treatment.

“Whatever I could get my hands on, that was what I’d, used…”, Lai told, that he’d borrowed a belt, and, made a simple carrier with the branches that were available to him, used a rag as a head stable, with the injured man, Tseng on his back, he’d, run, toward the area where the rocks had, fallen; to avoid the smaller rocks that were falling, he’d found the route as he’d gone along, he ran, and walked quickly, took him close to half an hour, to finally deliver the injured person to the safe location two kilometers, away.

And so, this is, the act, of selflessness, and this man had only one thought, to get the injured person to safety, and he’d put his life at risk, but he didn’t care, he had one goal in mind, getting the injured person to safety, so he can, get treated for his, injury.

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April 8, 2024 · 5:04 am

The Greek Son-in-Law Saved Twelve “I’m No Hero”

An ordinary man who’d, become, a hero, because the times called for it, how people, rose up in times of, disaster, off of the Front Page Sections, translated…

“I don’t think I’m heroic, I just did what my instincts told me.”, the Greek tourist, Dimitris Belbas who was visiting Hualien, assisted twelve people at the Baiyang Waterfalls Trail, finally was, rescued out yesterday, he’d humbly claimed, that when he was a child, as he was in the scouts, he’d, vowed to help others, and now, he was only, fulfilling that promise he’d made from forty years ago; as he’d told of the rescuing processes, he’d, started crying, and couldn’t talk, showing how shocked he was, about this, experience.

Dimitris Belbas is the former New Zealand diplomat’s Greek son-in-law, after the roads were opened back up at the Creekside Road of Zhongheng Highway, he was lifted to Nantou, through his wife translating for him, he was, interviewed.  He’d told, that he was on a trip with his wife, and his mother-in-law, when the quake occurred, they were with three Taipower employees, the six of them felt thrilled, and, after they’d calmed back down, they’d, started worrying about the family of five with whom they’d connected with on the trip.

the footage of the brave man who’d saved the lives in the earthquake, off of YouTube

“I had no other options, I had to, save everyone”, on the process of how he’d, managed to rescue the family of fie, Dimitris Belbas was too emotional to talk.  His wife told, that family had their children, with a stroller, as a father, that feeling of knowing where his loved ones are, but not known if they’d, survived…”, it was, an, indescribable feeling, thankful, after searching for over two hours, the family of five were, okay.  Dimitris Belbas claimed, that thank to his wife, holding everything together, that was how they were all able to, get out unharmed, but, the photos of the rescue the professional rescuers publicized, it’d made those who saw the photo believed, that Belbas WAS, the hero in the rescues.

The police told, that at the 1.7 kilometer marker of the trail, more than ten people were stuck, due to the rocks fallen down, and the Greek man had taken the group passed across the rocks, and found a safe shelter for them to stay in, and waited for the rescuers, there were the three children from a family of five at the time, that couldn’t, climb over the giant rocks like the adults had, the Greek man ran to the Tienxiang Squad of the Protections Seventh Squadron’s Nineth team to get help.  The members of the professional rescue teams took the ropes, the helmets and the gloves, rushed there, and with the assistance of the Greek man, they’d set up the life-saving ropes, and the children, with the adults guiding them, with the ropes to steady them, passed over the collapsed section of the formation, and they all got out, safely.

the altruistic man getting teary eyed as he’d recalled the process of how he’d, saved the lives, photo from online

So, this is a hero, without any name, and, it was his act of helping, his empathy, and his actions of calling out for help, that’s saved these, families from becoming the fatalities of this, major, earthquake.

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January 31, 2024 · 1:57 am

The Sounds of, Silence, 56~57

Some philosophies here, translated…

56.

Saving each other, with all we have left, better if we just, all, forgot, this seemed to be, at a, higher level of, spiritualism than “forgetting one another in the ways of the, worlds.”

No, that won’t be correct, as the latter can only be, achieved if you’d, mastered the former, the values that came from, the previous, experiences, meaning, that the destinations are only, meaningful, if you’d, undergone the process, the passages to get there.

So, the process, is WAY more important that the, results, as that should be the, rule of thumb on things, only, that despite how we know, the process being, more important, we still all, got used to, focusing on the final, results, and, lost sight of, what’s, truly, important in, life.

57.

The event, may lead to the misfortunes, but, feeling the mercies, is the best, the most blessed quality of, man.  You on the clouds, hearing the cries for help down in the swamps, then, you’d, leapt from the clouds, and, wouldn’t that be the, start of your, misfortunes?

But, having the mercy is, reward on its, own, and, the rewards, give you, that sense of, bliss and, fulfillment.

So this is on what drives us, to act, altruistic in certain situations, because we feel bad, seeing someone else, suffer, and we want to, rescue the person out of her/his, miseries, and we’d, fallen into, misery ourselves, but knowing that we’d done something, to pull that someone else in need, out of her/his own, miseries, that seemed to, make the miseries we now find ourselves in, worth, the while, doesn’t it???

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July 10, 2023 · 5:03 am

She’d Looked at Him Wrong, the Random Hacking that Came from Taidong

How the bystanders all “chipped in” to help the woman fight off her attacker, off of the Front Page Sections, translated…

Four Random Passersby Helped the Woman Out, Using the Ladle, the Iron Bat, the Electric Fan, as Well as a Suitcase, the Male Suspect, Subdued onto the Pavement, Screamed Out, “It’s So Hot!”

The woman, Chiang was walking down the street in Taidong yesterday afternoon, sudden, a man, Chang hacked at her five, six time with a large craft knife, she’d started bleeding, the four passersby heard her screamed loud, they’d all rushed to her rescue, grabbing what they can get their hands on, electric fans, ladle, suitcase, and an iron bat, as Chang was pinned to the pavement, he’d started hollering, “the concrete is too hot!”, he seemed to be not of sound mind.  The police investigated, that before the attacks, the two had looked at one another in the super convenience store, but they’d not known one another, the police suspected that it was a random attack and are investigating the motives, the suspect was charged on attempted murder.

The police investigated, that the twenty-six-year-old woman, Chiang at around noon, walked out of the super convenience store on Zhongxing Road in Taidong yesterday, pulled along her suitcase, heading home, as she’d crossed the intersection, the fifty year old assailant, Chang followed her all the way from the super convenience store, suddenly, he’d started attacking her with a craft knife, Chiang was stabbed multiple times, and fell to the ground, she got away from him, ran into the depth of the alleys, screaming aloud “HELP!”, she’d sustained cuts on her ears, her neck, her arms, as well as her thighs too.

The father and sons, Hsus were driving past, saw the assault, they’d grabbed what they could get their hands on, and rushed up to the woman’s, rescue, the father took a ladle he had in the car, the older son hauled the electric fan that was by the side of the road, the youngest son lifted up Hsu’s suitcase, there was another passerby who’d picked up the bat, to assist, the four surrounded Chang, distracted him, after Chang was distracted, Hsu took the ladle, and knocked the craft knife out of Chang’s hand, then, the passersby all rushed in, to subdue Chang.

Chiang, after being rescued, still felt the adrenaline rush, said she didn’t even know Chang, only remembered, that they looked at one another at the super convenience shop opposite where the assault was happening, couldn’t understand why he’d attacked her, as she was taken to the hospital, she was not in any life threatening danger.

Hsu the father told, at the moment, he’d instinctively felt, “if I don’t try to save her, she will get hacked to death”; the younger son told, that as he was at a standoff with Chang, he’d not felt brave at all, in fact, he was, really scared, he kept backing down, but, because woman was in need of saving, he’d not think too much.

The witnesses retold, that at first, they thought it was a lovers’ quarrel, then, they’d heard the father and sons, the Hsu’s getting out of the car, and hollered, “What are you doing!”, then they saw Chang using the craft knife, swinging at those who’d surrounded him.

The police arrived, arrested Chang, found that there was another craft knife stashed in his backpack; he’d admitted that he’d not known Chiang, and did NOT give a clear motive of why he’d attempted to attack her; Chang’s families told, that he wasn’t of sound mind, was emotionally unstable, but the police checked, and he had no treatment records on file.

The Taidong County social services told, that Chang hadn’t been reported from before, that there was the unknown motive of his attack, that it will be up to the investigators, the police to look into it; reminded the locals, that if they’d found someone who was emotionally, or behaviorally abnormal, to immediately notify the social services.

And so, we do NOT know what the motives of this man, going after this woman was, but, there may be something wrong with the man, because, you just don’t, randomly, go after and attack someone you’d just seen in a shop.

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