There is very often a good reason behind the impulse

and this section is not talking about
those occasions when
a helping hand
can lift someone
from
a rut.

It is a matter of degree.
(something we are not very good at discerning)

But when the rut
becomes a canyon
through which a raging river rushes
you need decide how far
your arms can stretch
and if the load can indeed be lifted.