First, a link: http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/25/opinion/bennett-aurora-three/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Three men were sitting in that Aurora movie theater with their girlfriends when a mad man opened fire. Without thinking, all three leaped to put themselves between the shooter and a woman to which they had no legal or familial obligation, dying in the process. Three men, all in their twenties, sacrificed themselves without a moments hesitation.

It’s easy to understand a man risking himself for his family. Ask any father about protecting his wife and kids and you’ll see a look in his eyes more eloquent than anything he can say. It simply says “No. Nothing will hurt them.”

It’s also understood that an adult will put himself (or herself) at risk to protect a child, regardless of whether or not it’s theirs or if they even know the kid. Stories of people unhesitatingly putting their lives in danger, and sometimes losing them, in order to save a child they had never laid eyes on a minute before are not unusual. I remember one story where a child fell into a raging river and THREE adults died saving her, none of them family. Scientist say the human animal has an instinctive hard coding that makes us protect the young because it’s what keeps the species alive.

But why did three adult men unhesitatingly throw their lives away to protect these adult women? It wasn’t to score points with them, that’s for sure. They didn’t have time to think “Wow, if I protect her now she’ll REALLY like me.”

Chivalry maybe? When the girls agreed to go out on the date with them, the men decided that they had some sacred obligation to defend them- laying down their lives if needed. I think this strikes closer to the truth… but doesn’t quite hit it.

Imagine a scene where any of these guys went to the movie alone and happened to be sitting next to a girl who was also at the movie alone:
Him: “Hi. My friends think I’m such a geek for coming here alone for a midnight showing of a Batman movie.”
Her: “Yeah, mine too.”

Does ANYBODY doubt that, as soon as the bullets started flying that, based on that little exchange, any one of these guys would have done everything he could to protect this girl who was there alone… unprotected? Of course he would.

Why? Because they were REAL men. It’s that simple. All of us that pee standing up secretly hope that, when push comes to shove, we will be real men and won’t collapse in a weeping pile of cowardice. We all secretly fear that, deep down, we won’t have it in us to do “the right thing”. That we won’t pass the test.

Jon Blunk, Alex Teves and Matt McQuinn took the test and passed it.