Ok so i just remembered an instance where this was the case.
I used to work as a customer advisor for a well known shop, and i was helping a mother and her two daughters look through the store catalogues for what they needed. I also knew them briefly as they lived close by to me. Ā
Also there was often a man who came into the shop who had a disability. He was about 50-70% deaf and had trouble seeing so he would come ask for help when looking through the catalogues. He also had a mental disability that his carer did not specify but merely made us aware of.
This day, the man came in alone āno carer- and came up behind me while i was helping the mum. She didnāt recognise that there was someone standing right behind us as her back was turned. I did. I felt someone not 2 steps behind me, breathing on my back.
The two daughters with her noticed as well and were staring at him as children can be curious. They didnāt recognise any problem.
I remember my brain screaming at me to move because there was an unknown man stood right behind me and could hurt me. I moved, and realised as i moved that i was previously standing in front of the smaller girl who was about 7 years old.
As soon as my brain recognised this, it started to scream, āMove back, block herā. I did. My body swayed back in front of her and i was shocked at myself.
My brain had first screamed for my own safety and then demanded i protect this little girl from an unknown danger. She wasnāt my daughter. I didnāt even know her that well. I knew her face and that was it. But my brain had demanded I protect her before myself.
I turned around, still blocking her and looked him in the face and then recognised who it was. He asked if i could help him and i agreed. The mum then turned and saw him standing close and her eyes did a run around.
From him, to me and then to her daughters. she recognised he was too close. She didnāt know him and didnāt know he was disabled mostly physically and mentally. She told the daughters to not wonder off, like she was reminding them to stay close.
I asked her if it was ok if I left her to look for her item and instantly she agreed. She wanted him away.
It was like my professional head came on then and I was in a mode of āhelp the customerā where I lead him away to another catalogue and started going through it with him.
He was very thankful and went and bought his item and left soon after.
But till this day Iāve never forgotten about that and how two instincts clashed so sharply in me. Itād never happened to me before. Iām still staggered to this day.
So my brain put a random childās safety over my own and I think I understand now how people can put themselves in danger to protect children. My brain just did it without my say so. Ā