Would you have done the same?

Yesterday, I witnessed a woman and a man fighting. They were fighting on the sidewalk in the middle of the afternoon.

From far down the block the couple appeared to be goofing around; wrestling at each other for paper towels that the man was holding and squealing in high, comical voices. But as I approached, it became clear that the 30-something man and woman weren't joking, they were serious. The woman, who was noticeably younger and better looking than the man, desperately tried to grab the man, subdue him long enough so she could talk to him. The man wanted nothing to do with her and was violently pushing the woman away. The woman kept repeating, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry". Apparently, she was apologizing for some act of wrongdoing. The man was disgusted with the woman, and it seemed like every second he touched her, he was a second closer to retching. He was totally furious and irritated and looked like he was trying to back away from her long enough to use his phone.

When I was about 100 yards away and walking closer, their conflict peaked. The man was trying to dial numbers on his cell phone as the woman yelled and grabbed with increasing desperation. "Don't call the cops, don't call the cops". At this point, it appeared the man had the police on the line. The woman's only choice was to lunge at the man, attempting to restrain his cellphone access with a bear-hug. In order to avert the woman's latest maneuver, the man had to viciously slam the woman onto the concrete. She hit the pavement hard. I couldn't be sure, but I think he threw in a couple of extra kicks for good measure.

Now, I'm about 25 feet away from the scene. Oh shit. At what point is a man passer-by (myself) required to butt in and try to save the damsel in distress? She was hardly a damsel, but she certainly wasn't street trash either. She had obviously done something wrong, and was yearning to apologize to the man. Was the man justified for slamming her to the ground? Are you ever in the right if you physically assault a woman? Whatever she had 'done', it was something worth apologizing for. Had she burnt his toast and he was an affirmed wife-beater? Or, was she cheating and stealing from him, and his body slam was only the physical culmination of the pent up frustration in a broken hearted man? Who am I to judge? Was she maybe bleeding a little? I'm nearly on top of them now....

I crossed the street and pretended to be utterly intrigued with my cell phone.

I leave you with this:

"Life is pain, life is fear, and man is unhappy. Now everything is pain and fear. Now man loves life because he loves pain and fear. That's how it's been arranged. we are given life for fear and pain, and that's where the swindle lies. Today man is not a real man. One day there will be free, proud men to whom it will make no difference whether they live or not. That'll be the new man. He who conquers pain and fear will be god himself. And the other God will disappear."
--Fyodor Dostoyevsky