The drawback of being proactive

Two years ago at the flower market at Mehrauli two men on a motorcycle dropped a polythene bag with a tiffin box in it. A young boy picked it up to return it to them. The two men refused to take it and sped away, leaving the boy with the bag, which exploded while in his hand, killing him instantly.

And what was the boy's fault?

-Being proactive.

Being proactive got him killed.

In the age we live in, how can we be proactive without hurting, not anyone else, but ourself.

In our everyday life, a simple gesture, a small comment, a mild reaction or a little good deed is so easily misunderstood. Everyone's on the edge of their seats as if something is about to happen. And at the slightest provocation, we leap out of our skin to be something we were not meant to be.

Lately, I have been getting hurt being proactive. So should I forget myself and be as indifferent to myself and everything?

As always, it's not a choice i'm being allowed to make. Everyone else seems to want to make it for me.