Help self before helping others

Lending a hand to others in time of need and helping out in dire circumstances seems to be the American way. The United States has been No. 1 in rendering aid to the many causes requiring assistance worldwide. Not every situation has been remedied ideally; however, our support has rarely wavered.

Most of us who have traveled by air may remember one of the essential safety announcements given before every flight.

“If the cabin should lose pressurization, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead. Please put the mask on yourself first, then assist in putting it on your child.”

Now, why would they say that? Wouldn’t one think that a child’s innocent life is more important than an adult’s? The explanation is simple: Take care of yourself first so you can take care of others later.

The wisdom in this practice is far-reaching and is neither political nor opinion. Extending this principle to our everyday lives is moral, ethical and downright common sense. If you are unhealthy, it will be difficult for you to help others. So, take care of yourself and lead a healthy lifestyle. You never know when you might be called upon to contribute.

The logical notion of taking care of oneself first before serving others is vital to the success and well-being of the individual, group, city, county, state, country and so on because if the one providing aid is no longer, the assistance ceases.

Consider a very charitable company donating a portion of its proceeds to various causes.

One day an executive of the company decided to donate the entire payroll leaving the employees without a paycheck. Rather than taking care of the business first, the company would lose its staff and likely cease to exist. Future contributions from this enterprise would be no longer.

Our country is at a crossroads regarding financial stability, drug addiction and homelessness.

In terms of our economic strength, our deficit has reached unsustainable levels. The debt ratio versus the amount of income to pay these enormous liabilities has risen higher than ever in our history. Our ability to continue to be charitable and assist other nations is dwindling at the expense of the American citizen.

We must help our country first to maintain the strength to continue fighting for freedom and our well-earned way of life. We could have reallocated the $100 billion or so spent on the conflict in Ukraine and invested it in our struggle with homelessness.

One hundred billion dollars would go a long way toward staffed mental health and drug intervention facilities. Instead, our citizens are suffering with no meaningful solutions in sight.

Only rational thinking says our generosity cannot and will not continue unless this country stays alive. We must put the oxygen mask on first, pull the lanyard and breathe.

The opinions expressed above belong solely to the author and do not represent the views of the Boulder City Review. They have been edited solely for grammar, spelling and style, and have not been checked for accuracy of the viewpoints.

G. Kevin Savord is currently a professional pilot and former small business owner. He can be reached at gksavord@gmail.com.