Bystander effect

**media[26125]**THROUGH UNTRUEWe often think of a neighbor as simply someone who lives nearby. But true neighborliness goes beyond proximity or shared walls. Though we may live in adjacent houses, apartments, or condominiums, we may be unwilling to engage with one another’s lives. When someone around us is in danger or distress, we may fall into what psychologists call the “bystander effect.” We act like bystanders, choosing to remain passive observers in the face of our neighbor’s suffering.Several factors contribute to this phenomenon. First, we assume that someone else will step in, relieving us of personal responsibility. Second, fear often overrides our good intentions. The constant stream of news about scams and exploitation has eroded our trust in others, especially strangers. We fear that helping might expose us to harm or deception.Third, we may be suffering from what is known as "compassion fatigue." Overwhelmed by our inability to address or alleviate the suffering of others, we distance ourselves emotionally. We convince ourselves that our efforts are too insignificant to make a difference, anyway.The bystander effect contributes to what the late Pope Francis called the “epidemic of indifference.” When we grow accustomed to staying on the sidelines, indifference begins to feel normal, and even acceptable. One insidious consequence is that victims are not only denied help, but also suffer the added trauma of being ignored. Worse, when we silently accept an unjust situation, we actually perpetuate it.This is why today’s Gospel reading is strikingly relevant. A scholar of the Jewish Law asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). Instead of answering directly, Jesus tells the parable of a man beaten and left for dead by robbers. Three people encounter the injured man, but only one—a Samaritan, a social outsider with no obligation to help—stops and cares for him with compassion and generosity.At the end of the parable, Jesus asks, “Which of these three was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” (Luke 10:36). The scholar replies, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus then says, “Go and do likewise.”Jesus wisely reframes the scholar’s question. While the scholar seeks to define the limits of his moral obligation, Jesus challenges him to become the very definition of a neighbor. In essence, Jesus is saying: “Be a neighbor first, then you will understand who your neighbor is.”This shift from “Who is my neighbor?” to “Am I being a neighbor?”reminds us that Christian love is not about deciding who deserves our compassion, but about cultivating a heart ready to show mercy to anyone in need. The real question is not,“Who qualifies as my neighbor?” but “How can I be a neighbor to those around me?”The parable of the Good Samaritan enjoins us to be real neighbors to one another, not bystanders but upstanders. Upstanders are those who stand up for others, even when it is inconvenient or uncomfortable. They do not simply feel empathy, they act on it.Being a neighbor or an upstander can seem impractical, even unrealistic, in a culture that often exalts self-interest as the highest virtue. But the parable of the Good Samaritan calls us to a different standard. It tells us that true neighborliness allows us to recognize the image of God in others, especially in those who suffer. As Christ took on our flesh and entered into our pain, so we too are called to draw near to those who are the least, the last, the lowly, and the lost in our society.Being a true neighbor or an upstander affirms the fact that no one is ever truly a stranger. It is also a form of discipleship. It is the practical outworking of the command of Christ that we should love others as He has loved us.