Presence of mind and wit are qualities that one does not find easily considering we inhabit a fairly dumb world. When we do find both these qualities though, they never fail to make our day. So, when someone on Quora started looking for presence of mind, it threw up this answer to prove grey cells are not a thing of the past.
To the question which went, ‘what are some of the greatest examples of presence of mind?’, Quora user Ishan Kumar came forward with this brilliant answer.
A badly injured couple was lying on the roadside. They had met with an accident. A car had hit their bike. The car owner was too scared to stop and have a look at the injured couple so he fled away. People had gathered around the couple and were discussing about the accident. No one cared to take the couple to the hospital.
A man came and asked everybody to co-operate in taking the couple to the hospital. Suddenly another man from the crowd shouted that it was a police case therefore nobody should interfere. Nobody came forward to help. Seeing this, the man shouted I am a Magistrate. I will see to it that police will not disturb you in their investigation.
On hearing this the people came forward for help and followed his instructions. The couple was taken to the hospital and treatment began.
While returning from the hospital, a man from the crowd came and introduced himself as a lawyer in the lower court and asked him that in which court did he work. At this, the man replied, “Sorry Sir! I am not a magistrate. I am an engineer.
Upvoted as the best answer by several users on the thread, we can all see how this answer not only displayed presence of mind but also served a beautiful purpose. In a situation where nobody was ready to help, one person’s will to help and quick thinking helped save two lives and brought people together. One can imagine what kind of reactions he might have received when he revealed the truth to everyone though. In his defence, he lied for a cause!
