There’s a viral video circulating of a woman afraid to cross a long bridge, and a cop stepping up to help her by leading her across with his vehicle.
Seems like a wholesome, heartwarming moment, right? Wrong—at least according to the comment section.
Instead of celebrating an act of compassion and true public service, people have filled the comments with things like, “She shouldn’t even have a license,” “If she’s that scared, she shouldn’t be allowed to drive,” “Natural selection should’ve taken care of this,” and worse.
This is why we are where we are as a society. The same people who constantly complain about how all cops are bad and corrupt will, when presented with an officer doing something objectively good, immediately redirect their misplaced anger onto the person being helped. The same people who preach mental health awareness will suddenly have zero empathy when confronted with a real-life example of someone experiencing a psychological struggle. And the same people who love to talk about kindness and compassion will only apply it selectively, when it suits their personal biases or benefits someone they deem worthy of it.
Here’s the Reality Check:
This woman wasn’t just being dramatic—this is a very real and well-documented phobia. Fear of bridges is a manifestation of agoraphobia that many people don’t even know they have until they experience it firsthand.
Deep down, people with this fear are afraid of “falling up”—an irrational but very real response to height, openness, and vulnerability. It’s often worse on clear, blue-sky days, when the sky feels vast and limitless. Many large bridges in the U.S. actually have bridge houses where people can request a driver to take them across for this exact reason.
This cop did exactly what an officer is supposed to do. He protected and served—not just the woman, but every other driver on that bridge who could have been at risk if her panic caused an accident.
The Bigger Problem? People Choose Cruelty Over Compassion.
The real takeaway here isn’t just about this one situation—it’s about the epidemic of heartlessness infecting society.
People actively reject opportunities to feel warmth, empathy, or even just neutral decency. Instead of taking this moment to appreciate a cop doing something objectively good, they redirect their negativity elsewhere. Instead of using it as an opportunity to learn about a real psychological issue, they mock and dehumanize the person experiencing it. Instead of allowing themselves to feel anything other than resentment, they double down on being cruel, because that’s what’s familiar to them.
Closing Thought: It’s Not That Hard to Be Kind.
One of the most ridiculous comments on this video was: “It’s not that hard to cross a bridge.”
To that, we say:
It’s not that hard to be kind and respectful to someone in crisis, either—even if it wouldn’t feel like a crisis to you.
And maybe—just maybe—if more people realized that, the world wouldn’t feel as hopeless as it does now.
The Twin Tree Project 
This is why I go out of my way to interact with people when I’m out and about. Even simply making eye contact and smiling. And in checkout lines, I find something to compliment the cashier about. There’s always something.
I had a classmate in high school who was afraid to cross bridges. When our Oceanography Club went to Wallops Island, she almost didn’t go because we’d have to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. We all put our heads together and found a solution that worked for her. We had a nest of blankets and sleeping bags and covered her up. It felt silly but it meant the world to her. We knew when the bridge was coming and she stayed under that pile of kindness for about 10 – 15 minutes? It worked! She was okay and got to experience an awesome marine science camp.
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