Have you noticed that "helpless" is an odd word? Literally, it means without help. (Penniless means without pennies.) But, helpful means full of help, as in, full of help for others. Helpless actually means unable to give or receive help.
Babies are helpless
You do not help a baby change their diaper. A baby does not help you grocery shop. If a baby is in distress, you do not help the baby, you save the baby. You are the savior.
Most of the time, adults are not helpless. They can give and receive help. Help is American. Help is moral.
Sometimes, an adult needs to be saved. Firefighters and police officers are often called upon to be saviors. They save helpless people. Saving helpless people is American. Saving the helpless is moral.
Help everyone else
What happens when we try to save someone that is not helpless? Have you ever been doing something like working on the computer, cooking something, or fixing something and realized that you needed a little help? But, when you asked someone to help you, they just took over and did it for you. It makes you helpless. For them to save you, you must be helpless. You did not need saving, you just needed some help.
Save the helpless; help everyone else.
