A testament to the human impulse to help one another – Washington Post

July 21 at 8:00 PM

I was brought to tears by the story of the human chain that savedswimmers who were perilously close to drowning off a Florida beach [Florida beachgoers form a human chain to save 10 swept off by riptide, Politics & the Nation, July 12]. Dozens of beachgoers some of whom couldnt swim responded to the alarm, left their complacency behind and joined hands in a rescue effort, endangering their own lives in the process. This remarkable and spontaneous show of unity, this act of courage and compassion by strangers, left me in awe.

How badly is such a story needed now, when the daily headlines are filled with the hatred and division consuming our nation. Ill bet that human chain consisted of both Democrats and Republicans, people of different races, religions and sexual orientations. When disaster is at hand, these differences are utterly irrelevant; the human impulse to help one another is as strong as any force of nature. We should all learn from their extraordinary spirit of cooperation.

Rebecca Frank, Oakton

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A testament to the human impulse to help one another - Washington Post