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How not to save a drowning man.
You should not swim towards a drowning man unassisted. You have all the best intentions, the last thing you want to see is this man drowning. Not this man. But you aren’t properly prepared to help him. You don’t have the certifications to understand the situation and the man is too frantic in his struggle to tell you about it. The man is desperate. If you swim towards him, get too close, he will hold onto you, and in that state of desperation he may push your head under the water just to keep his own above it. He fears for an outcome he cannot comprehend happening more than he fears hurting you. He will not show regret for doing what he did out of desperation, even though he knew it would only ever be a few seconds spent above the water before beginning to sink again. You should not swim towards a drowning man unassisted. You won’t be able to forgive him for what he will do.
You should not ask a drowning man why he went into the water. You think it is reasonable enough of a question. You’ve known this man longer than most, you knew he couldn’t swim, not for long at least. And you’re not even him. So if he knew he couldn’t swim, why did he go in the water? Why didn’t he bring any support with him? Why did he leave the safety of the docks? Did he expect to gain the skill as he went along? The man would tell you it’s not his fault. He asked you to come swimming with him. He asked for your support. You were supposed to be there to help, you were all supposed to be in this together. But you never really went into the water. You just watched as he waded through, telling him you were right behind him whenever he asked if you were following. A part of you didn’t want to see your friend like this. This is painful for you too. But a part of you wanted, needed to see him drown. So instead of helping him you turned a blind eye until he needed you most. You should not ask a drowning man why he went into the water. He didn’t know he would be so alone.
You should not lie to a drowning man. He trusts you, believes you will tell him the truth, thinks you want the best for him. He thinks you both have the same goal in mind, he thinks you want to help him leave the water. He wonders where the assistance is. He doesn’t know yet that you are lying to him. You were never here to help him out of the water. You’re in a bit of a tight spot, and you need him in the water to get what you need. He has access to what you need, it took a little while for him to give in, almost like you were coaxing a dragon into looking away from the gold it was protecting. But you don’t mind that he is suspicious of you. You can get it yourself, you’re almost sure you can get it yourself. You just need him believing that you can get it. You need him exactly where he is. Struggling on his own so you can do your work. Of course, you’ve always suspected that your time in his good graces wouldn’t last forever. He will not trust you forever. You could never have that kind of hold on him. So when he starts asking himself and the whisper in the air why you haven’t done what you needed to do and finally help him out of the water, you will try to dissuade him from thinking too hard. And when he decides he doesn't want you around anymore? When he starts keeping secrets from you? You are so angry that you leave the docks entirely. You will let him drown and you have to hold yourself back from feeling angry enough to push him under the fucking water yourself. But a part of you knows that wouldn’t really be fair. After all, you were the one lying to him first, and you could never tell him about your secrets. You should not lie to a drowning man. He cannot keep believing you are here to help while he continues to drown.
You should not taunt a drowning man. You know why he’s drowning. You convinced him to go into the water. You said he didn’t need to bring any aid, that he’s a fine swimmer, or that he'd at least learn along the way. He believed you, he trusted you. That fool. You take on many roles in this. You are on the docks, tired of this game and just hoping he slips under the water forever so you can leave. You are under the water yourself, holding your breath for as long as you can as you keep pulling on his leg and praying he finally gets tired of struggling. You are the whisper in his ear telling him to keep swimming, that he is doomed if he drowns and doomed if he swims to shore. You are all around him. You are the weight dragging him down, you are the support keeping him afloat. You are a detriment to his safety and yet you have made yourself everything to him. You are the air, and you are the water. You should not taunt a drowning man. He won’t know what to do with himself after you are gone.