Paralyzed by incapacity or too entertained to react?

Yesterday, a female Atenean was sitting almost helplessly on a trolley being pushed by a janitor. A female friend of hers was aiding her by allowing her to inhale through a paper bag while a male friend was making sure she doesn't fall off the trolley. All the people in Colayco Pav, at least the ones near the concrete path going to Faura, were staring at this sight. The janitor had to stop once in a while because the weak girl on the trolley kept signaling her female friend. Then these 3 tall and muscled guys stopped to gape -- yes, to GAPE -- at this poor girl who was sitting down on the trolley. They didn't even stop to ask if they could help bring the girl to the infirmary. To make matters worse, when I looked at two girls beside our booth, one of them was looking at the helpless girl on the trolley WHILE furiously messaging away through her PDA. geeez. I was reminded of the Ateneo Gossip Girl like website i just visited. Don't tell me you were too busy documenting what was happening?!

Benjo and I then decided to ask how we could help seeing that they were moving at a snail's pace. I asked the female friend "Anong nangyari?" She responded "Hindi siya makahinga." We asked how we could help. The janitor said that we should go to the infirmary to get a wheelchair.

Benjo and I ran to SocSci building.

And a toink moment happened.

"Benjo, alam mo kung san yung infirmary?"

Silence.

*laughter while running"

Luckily, we were able to find it agad.

To make the long story short, we weren't able to give the wheelchair because another janitor, a lanky and slightly tall one, carried the girl inside the infirmary. Asking what had happened, I distinctly remember the janitor saying "may nakita lang ako.. pinagtatawanan..." I couldn't hear the rest of the dialogue with one of the people from ADSA.

I certainly hope that that girl who was, apparently, hyperventilating and catching her breath, wasn't the butt of any joke.

But what kills me was what I witnessed at Colayco Pav. My Lord. Were those big guys and that PDA-texting girl too entertained and amused to react? Did they think that since there were 3 people helping this girl, pwede na? Wala nang magagawa? Importante bang may i-chismis? Were their moral compasses at a standstill?

Watching CSI Las Vegas last night, I remember Grissom said "Our moral compasses can only take us so far. It can never ensure that we get to the right action."

So, Ateneans, are your moral compasses still guiding you to do the right thing?