When I consider bystanders, I worry and wonder.
Bystanders exist at all levels of work and living.
Simply there are bystanders who see or hear bad news, but don't speak up out of fear or possibly because they don't want to get involved.
There are bystanders on the playground who watch an unfortunate event occur and don't speak up.
There are bystanders in our professional lives who witness unfair or unprofessional events and stay silent.
There are bystanders at the national and world levels who witness illegal or unethical events and turn a blind eye.
It's not positive to be a passive bystander, instead if you see or hear something of importance, it's critical to speak up. Speaking up generally saves all involved from the bad act that could follow.
We've seen this happen with criminal acts. Bystanders stand by while a colleague or buddy speaks out or acts in a negative way. Instead of speaking up to caution ore remove their friend, they let it happen, and when the bad act happens people are hurt in multiple ways.
One way to save yourself from the bystander dilemma is to be upfront from the start--let people know, this is who I am and what I stand for. Also as soon as the bad news begins to happen, remove yourself, go to the proper authorities, and act for good. Too many times people allow themselves to stay apart of negative events for so long that by the time it reaches the challenge point, they're too deeply invested to speak up without grave repercussions.
No matter, we save a lot of people grief and trouble, if we speak up and act even when it is uncomfortable to do so.
Don't be the bystander who stands by and witnesses the bad acts, instead speak up and act. If you do this, you'll save many from troubles that await.
