While thinking of people who have faced death courageously, the one name that keeps coming to mind is Paul Rossington, an Australian paramedic who leapt from a cruise liner soon after his girlfriend, Kristen Schroder, slipped and fell from the balcony of the cabin they were sharing. The decision of Mr. Rossington to jump over the balcony in a bid to save her girlfriend while knowing that his action would most likely end his life is a an epitome of selflessness. The fact that the two were in a turbulent relationship and the emergence of reports showing that their decision to board the ship was a make or break 11-day cruise trip makes Rossington’s action even more baffling. It is apparent that Rossington did not try to consider his safety; instead, he concentrated all his energies towards trying to save his Schroder. The best lesson from Rossington’s act of bravery in the in the face of death is that one must help others and an even more important lesson is that one must have the courage to seek help every time a person is facing a daunting task. There is also an important lesson that people should learn to fight for what they believe in despite the challenges they face, but even while acting towards achieving a specific objective, one should pause to think about the consequences. Clearly, Rossington did not think about the consequences, otherwise, he would have known that calling for help would be the best possible action to try to save his girlfriend because the cruise ship would likely have professional divers who could have saved Schroder from drowning. Self-belief is also a lesson that one can learn from Rossington’s action, he believed in himself but unfortunately failed in his efforts.
Work Cited
Dubuis, Anna. Paramedic Died After 'Courageous' Leap From Cruise Ship In Vain Attempt To
Save His Girlfriend From Drowning. MGN Limited. 10 Jun 2015. Web. 16 Jul 2016. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/paramedic-died-after-courageous-leap-5859128
