to do nothing or share?

An interesting interpretation of where we all eventually find ourselves when we learn that something has gone wrong (event) or plain old just is wrong (state) and others are suffering:

To study psychological trauma means bearing witness to horrible events. When the events are natural disasters or “acts of God,” those who bear witness sympathize readily with the victim. But when the traumatic events are of human design, those who bear witness are caught in the conflict between victim and perpetrator. It is morally impossible to remain neutral in this conflict. The bystander is forced to take sides.


It is very tempting to take the side of the perpetrator. All the perpetrator asks is that the bystander do nothing. He appeals to the universal desire to see, hear, and speak no evil. The victim, on the contrary, asks the bystander to share the
burden of pain.

Judith Herman, M.D.
Trauma and Recovery: from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror