Rescue Me

I'm Luke Skywalker. I'm here to rescue you.

- Star Wars Episode IV, A New Hope
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What is rescue?

To rescue another is to deliberately take action to assist one who is in peril.  Peril itself can take many forms, ranging from embarrassment, to physical discomfort, to danger of grave injury or death.  Literature and film are replete with rescues -- from traditional fairy tales to modern movies. Everyone, it seems, likes to see, hear, or read of a successful rescue.

At least two individuals form the basis of a rescue:  the Rescuer and the Rescued.  The Rescued may be a single entity; a group; or even more (a planet, for example).  Some of the Rescued may be unaware of the identity or even the action of the Rescuer. Others may deliberately attempt to draw a particular Rescuer to them through deliberate steps into danger. Still more may seek to remain independent of the (or any) Rescuer, and only inadvertently or though actions of another find themselves in a position of needing rescue.

The focus is not, however, on the Rescued; it is in fact on the Rescuer. Rescuers place themselves into the same peril -- or even greater peril -- as the Rescued, in order to bring the Rescued to safety.  The Rescuer thinks not of himself:  he acts courageously and selflessly for the benefit of the Rescued.

The Rescuer himself.

Certainly there are exceptions, but if one compiled a list of Rescuers, it is quite likely that male Rescuers would vastly outnumber female Rescuers.  I wonder why it is so.  I suspect (though I have no scientific basis at the moment) that there may be some type of evolutionary component.  The Rescuer is brave, caring, helpful; he is willing to endanger himself for the good of another.  Such characteristics are highly desirable in a mate.  The Rescuer, by taking that extra degree of risk, may thereby gain not only admiration and grateful compensation, but also potential partners.

Biological imperative aside (or sublimated), though, there is always something marvelous about the Rescuer.  He is a hero. Heroes are in short supply in this world, and it warms our hearts and uplifts us to see heroes in action.  They give us hope that, should we be in need, a Rescuer will deliver us as well.