Like pretty much everyone else in New York, I can't stop thinking about Wesley Autrey's amazing subway rescue. Suffice it to say, I've spent quite a bit of time checking out the space between the subway tracks—and it is very small! Though we all hope we'd have something like this in us, I have to wonder how many people could've acted with enough decisiveness and reason in this situation.
The resulting media attention has been both hilarious ("You just risked your life for a stranger, here's a trip to Disney World and free subway passes for a year!") and heartwarming, especially for Wesley's continued eloquence, good humor, and humility in describing what he did. The Letterman interview [via Gawker] tells the story best:
I agree. This selfless act of heroism was indeed amazing.
I can speak (think?) for everyone else, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who has felt somewhat ashamed to conclude that if it was my chance to play Captain America, I just wouldn't be able to overcome the instinct for self-preservation as fast as Mr. Autrey apparently did.
Naturally, I'd like to believe I truly would (especially with my own children looking on, too). Then again, I hope never to find out. Talk about conflicted.
–Lou