Order in Chaos

And on a side note...

As I was walking to a mass for the graduating seniors this afternoon after school, I heard a crash shortly after I crossed the street and turned to see a car flipped on its side.  The windshield was shattered.  A man was writhing on the ground holding his stomach...

And a people in the area immediately swarmed in.  One man giving orders about calling the firemen right away.  The man on the ground was moved.   The car was lifted right-side up again.  An older woman in traditional indiginous clothes who looked very shaken was seated in the backseat of the car and given water.  I watched for a few minutes and then left, realizing I wasn't needed.  But I was impressed with the order.  The calm.  The way the bystanders immediately took control of the situation.

It was the same last Friday with the floods.  The alarm bell rang in our neighborhood because residents had heard traffic couldn't pass in the nearby park.  This notified the neighbors to take action to close up their houses, move vehicles if they needed to, and even go outside with poles to clean the drains.  The floodwaters came, but by that time manhole covers had been lifted, cars were moved to higher ground, and protective barriers were placed over doors.  And when the flood waters receded, the neighborhood also went to work to clean the mud. 

In a country where the authorities can not always be trusted to do what is necessary in a given situation, the people have taken it upon themselves to do what needs to be done instead.  While there isn't always this level of cooperation, it was good to see it in these two situations.