So, something crazy happened today, and it taught me a big lesson.
I went to my usual place to cut my hair. And as you know, the typical barbershop is always teeming with men, and many times, regardless of the amenities in place for a comfortable stay, it tends to get stuffy. It only clears out when there are few people there. That’s just how it has always been, and sadly, huge numbers mean more business for the barbers, and since that works for them, they don’t really make any moves to reduce the crowd, except that they’ve cut their hair.
So, that was the case with what happened today. There were a lot of men there. That included a bunch of customers and me, the barber’s apprentices (about four of them), and the barber himself. So, this should tell you just how many people were in the shop at the time.
So, while I was getting my hair cut, I was in the seat, my body covered with an apron to protect me from all the hair being cut off. The barber was behind me doing his thing, and two of his apprentices flanked me, one on either side. The other two of them stayed behind, watching from a distance. Other customers were on the couch, waiting for their turn.
Everything was moving smoothly until suddenly, the apprentice on my right-hand side pitched forward and slumped across my body, pinning me to the seat. He had fainted!
Just before he slid off me to the floor, the barber reacted. He threw his clipper onto the counter and grabbed the boy before he hit the floor. Once his weight was off me, I could get up, and we immediately assisted him to the floor. We asked another apprentice to bring water, but the guy was frozen as he stared at his colleague. The barber immediately left the unconscious boy with me and hurried off to get water. We were able to revive the boy, get him something to revive his energy, before the barber called his mother, and he was taken to the hospital.
Now, we get to the lesson that this event taught me. It’s the boy who froze up when he saw his friend unconscious. His entire body was trembling, and he couldn’t stop looking at the boy. While the barber and I kept our cool and handled the situation, the boy lost his and folded under pressure. If he had been alone and saw something like that happening to someone he knows, he just might not do anything due to pressure.
And while waking someone up from a fainting spell is not really a big deal, it reminded me of our fragility as humans. I might have some experience with such cases, which is why I was able to easily handle it with the barber. But then, what about when it’s in a more dire case? What if I have to save a drowning person? The person has been rescued from the water, but will I be able to perform CPR and preserve their life until help comes? What about when it’s a stabbing or gunshot injury? Do I know how to stop the flow of blood? If I find myself in such a situation, will I freeze up like the boy today? Or will I handle it calmly and cool-headedly?
I don’t really know. I guess if I find myself in such a situation, the circumstances there will determine what I do. For now, I’ll make do with all the knowledge that I have.
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