"You are not free to desist from it." ... How Pirkei Avot and the Bhagavad Gita explain the shared heroism on Flydubai FZ1073.
During the mid-air attack on Flydubai FZ1073, an Indian pilot and several Jewish/Israeli passengers (Yaniv Hayoun, Tzviika Manes, Dr. Shota Musaev) risked their lives to save 174 people.
I was looking into the psychology of why these specific strangers ran *toward* danger instead of freezing, and I found a beautiful parallel between two ancient traditions.
In the Hindu tradition (Bhagavad Gita), there is the concept of Svadharma... the idea that it is better to die performing your own duty than to try and walk someone else's path. In the Jewish tradition, this same universal responsibility is reflected in *Halakha*.
As Pirkei Avot 2:16 states: "You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it."
It’s incredible to see how these civilizational values passed down through stories and upbringing manifest into immediate action during a crisis. Faith is personal, but duty is universal.