I have been a first responder since I was fifteen; eight years have passed since I saw my first dead body. However, my desire to run towards danger has only grown over the years. Tragedies often bring much attention to my profession; pictures of first responders just doing their job become infamous. Since I was little I have heard, “you will be in a helping profession, it’s just in your genes.” When most people heard about the recent Boston Marathon bombing they taught about the victims, I thought about the first responders. In almost a sick way I was jealous, you see it is very rare in our profession that we are truly helping people in dire need. That kind of help is almost a sort of drug; we crave the satisfaction of knowing we truly made a difference in someone’s life. It will give you a high that is like no other. It has been proven that genetics can make people more likely to suffer from addiction, so honestly it is not hard for me to believe that I have a “helping” gene.
When I am put in a situation where others around me are frightened, hurt and just awestruck I kick into overdrive. It feels like a switch that I have no control over. My brain goes from thinking about a million and one things to being completely in the moment. A sense of calm smashes into my body with what seems to be explosive force, this is my element, this is my stage.
A recent article about the Boston Marathon poses this very same question. Why do first responders run towards danger when every gene in our bodies is designed to tell us to run away? Our genes are supposed to make us fear danger, to engage our fear systems, to make us scared. It seems that very little research in this area has yet to be done, yet most of us just seem to accept that “it’s in our genes.”
Perhaps it is not the desire to run towards danger that is in our genes, perhaps it is simply a form of addiction. I think for now I will continue to go on thinking I am just programmed to help. I think I am more okay with my fear systems being broken than I am with having an addiction.
Original Article- http://science.time.com/2013/04/16/first-responders/
Addiction is Genetic- http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/genetics/
As a regular civilian, I thank you from the bottom of my heart! It is people like who who keep the rest of us safe, and I truly appreciate it! I agree with you, I believe that there is genetic programming involved with that.
ReplyDeleteI definitely believe in this, some people have a caring heart and others just do not. Personally I have also heard people telling me I am a naturally caring and helping person. There are people out there who will without question run to help and others who will run in the opposite direction. Thanks for all you do!
ReplyDeleteThis was a great article to choose, as the Boston Marathon bombings weigh heavy on all of our minds and hearts at this time. Since I was very young, my parents have always told me I was beyond caring for people and was genuinely passionate about helping others. However, I do not think I would be able to make a profession out of seeing hurt or fatally injured people on a daily basis, and I don't think most people can either. There is definitely a genetic reference for those who are immediately drawn to helping other in situations like the Boston Marathon. Thank you for all you do!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very creative blog I've read. Your article has captivated me to read. Philip Zimbardo once said, "Some people argue humans are born good or born bad; I think that’s nonsense. We are all born with this tremendous capacity to be anything, and we get shaped by our circumstances—by the family or the culture or the time period in which we happen to grow up, which are accidents of birth; whether we grow up in a war zone versus peace; if we grow up in poverty rather than prosperity."
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your kind words.
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