Life flies by at neck-breaking pace.
Blink and another five, 10, 15 years have passed.
It”s easy, especially in today”s frenzied society, to get absorbed in your own world.
All the while, there are those in need of a helping hand, neighbors who we can reach out to.
Too often, we don”t. Too often, we don”t even notice.
A decade ago, two local physicians — James Woodard and Alan Williams — took notice. And they responded.
The need: Too many area residents were going without health care or medication because they didn”t have insurance.
The answer: A free primary-care clinic, staffed entirely by volunteers.
Ten years later, the Good Samaritan Medical Clinic in Columbus has a rotation of 15 doctors and several nurses, pharmacists and other volunteers.
On any given Thursday night, the clinic is bustling with activity, its clients grateful for the care and medicine they otherwise wouldn”t have.
Imagine how much better the community would be if more people saw a need and, instead of sitting comfortably in their own little world, they did something about it.
The name, good Samaritan, comes from a parable in the Bible. A man traveling from Jerusalem had been robbed, stripped him of his clothes, wounded and left for dead. A priest and a Levite (also an official of the church) saw him and passed him by.
Then a man from Samaria saw him. (Samaritans were not looked on favorably by Jews.) He dressed his wounds, brought him to an inn and took care of him. When the Samaritan left, he paid the inn keeper to care for the injured man and promised to return, paying more if need be.
How many of us act as the good Samaritan? And how many more of us pass each other by, forsaking the opportunity to help?
Let”s follow the examples of the founders of the Good Samaritan Medical Clinic.
And when you are on the receiving end of the help, pay it forward. Help someone else in need.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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