Why I'll Drive You Home

Just the other night an incident occurred which made me pause to look deeper into why I do what I do. Thomas, Grace, Hannah, and I had got together to watch a movie and hang out, and then when it came time to leave, that's when it happened. Grace drove off in her car and Hannah had her bicycle and was going to bike the approximately seven tenths of a mile back to her apartment, except I stopped her. I said I'd give her a ride back, but she initially resisted, saying it wasn't that far and she would just bike it, and it didn't make much sense for me to drive her over there anyway. I insisted though, saying it'd be better this way, and how I didn't want her biking off alone at 11:06 at night. At last I convinced her and I threw her bike in the back and we drove off. On the way over we had a very interesting, fun, and thought provoking conversation on the ethics of driving people home at night and other chivalrous things. This is my answer/explanation to the main question of that conversation, which asked me to explain my protective convictions. So, here goes.

Let me start by saying I am a protective person. There's like an invisible sphere around me, and anyone within that sphere I feel personally responsible for their safety and well-being.  There is a certain degree to which I'll watch out for strangers, more so for friends, and even more for ladies and children. The degree to which I am responsible varies based on the time of day, how many people are around the area, where I am at, what's happening, and many other contributing factors. For instance, if it's about midday and there's plenty of people I know around the general vicinity, then my sphere of protection is smaller and less intense, but if it's late at night and there's only a few people around, the sphere includes everybody I'm with and is at its peak of intensity and vigilance. It's at times like these that I won't let a lady walk or bike home by herself, and if there are any young children around, the same goes for them as well. Even if we're in a small town with a low crime-rate and it's quite unlikely that anything would happen, the alternative is too costly to gamble with and isn't worth it. I still make sure that everyone arrives home safely or gets someplace where some other reliable person will personally watch out for them. If there are two girls on their way to the same house at night, I'll still offer a ride, but if they insist, I'll let them go; there is safety in numbers.

Again, if it's daytime I am much more lax, though I do keep an eye out, silently keeping tabs on people in my area, but I'm still ready to intervene if something does happen. You don't want to be creepy about it and you should temper it with tact and trust in others to do the right thing; you can't do everything on your own. You need to learn what is an acceptable risk to allow and when you should jump in and do something. It may be as simple as asking if they've got a car or offering to go with them (in the context of people going home at night, other situations may call for different approaches), or as dramatic as seizing control of the situation and commanding the person or group to turn around or take some course of action. Another reminder: all things with temperance and wisdom. Don't make mountains out of molehills, but at the same time don't let a sizable hill just roll on past.

 So far, in all my time of watchfulness, I haven't directly prevented many bad incidents from occurring, but that's not the point. How many ill deeds have never even had the chance to happen because those under my protection weren't alone? How many times has nothing gone wrong because somebody avoided the confrontation before it happened? How many times because we weren't even on foot? No one knows, but this I do know: if something does happen, it won't be from lack of discretion, it won't be because someone I should've been looking out for was alone, it won't be because I didn't drive them home. In the rare case that something does happen, I'll be there. And I won't stop till I'm dead or the threat is dispersed. I'll be there.

To sum up, I am protective of 'my people'. If you are my friend, and you are with me, you are 'my people'. I don't own you, I don't control your every move, but if a situation arises that I deem unsafe or unsound, I will step in and do what needs to be done. I don't care if I lose some time, I don't care if I'm tired, I'll follow through to the end. Perhaps it's not totally reasonable, perhaps there's some wasted effort, but that's not what I'm concerned about. God has given me many responsibilities, and high up there on the list is the role of Protector. There is no choice for me to decide, it's an imperative. This is how I see the world, and this is how I fulfill my duty.

This is who I am.