The Burning Bush

Yesterday afternoon I took Annie out for a nice little run along the canal in our neighborhood.  Scenic and pretty flat, it's a nice little 3 mile-ish round trip that is helping me prepare for the 5 miler at the end of July.  On the way out, I noticed a pile of brush out in the canal, on a little cement divider, that explained the smell of burning wood for the last few minutes.  It seems that someone (though I attributed it to some kids) decided to set the brush on fire that had settled on the canal divider the last time the canal flooded.  Though it was on cement, if the fire became larger, certainly sparks could cross over the canal (which is about 5 or 8 feet wide at this point) to the large trees and brush along the edge.  I thought about the burning brush as I past it, went out to the edge of the trail and turned around.  I passed a lot of people running and biking, but no one else seemed phased by the burning bush.  When I passed it on the return run, I felt my heartbeat quicken (which may be due to the fact that I am still incredibly out of shape) and thought, should I call 911?  Am I that person who is making a big deal out of something insignificant, am I the person that assumes someone else will speak up, or am I the person who saves the day and prevents forest fires (thanks, Smokey)?  Well, after I got home and caught my breath and got Ryan's encouragement to make the call, I did call the Philadelphia fire department who may or may not have thought I was crazy.  Either way, I spoke up.  But, I think a lot of times I see things I don't like or that cause concern, and I choose to turn my head.  I assume someone else will address it, or I don't want to deal with the consequences (maybe being perceived as a crazy person), or I'm just 'too busy' to get involved.  But shouldn't we always speak up?  If we really care about one another, we should always speak out on another person's behalf or do whatever we need to protect our communities, regardless of the consequences.  Easier said than done, clearly.
I am not really clear on whether God was speaking to me in the burning bush, but I am certain that it made me think of that story of Kitty Genovese (props to Ryan for remembering her name... I kept googling fragments of the story to no avail) that I learned about in Philosophy class in college.  She was stabbed to death in New York city and though at least a dozen, or some argue upwards of 40, people heard and saw parts of the attack and didn't intervene sufficiently...  It led to lots of research and theoretical development of the 'bystander effect' and the way that groups of people diffuse responsibility for a given situation.  (there have also been significant arguments that it is more of a parable than a factual re-telling of events) Nonetheless, I don't think I saved anyone's life by calling 911 yesterday... but it did make me think about my responsibility to my community, and it made me ask myself if I am willing to risk speaking up when I see something that is troubling, dangerous, or not conducive to building community.  I don't tend to encounter burning bushes in my daily life, but I certainly do get faced with a variety of situations that I can respond to: with my own self-interest, or with a concern for the greater good (and this might involve risk).  So maybe God really was speaking to me in that burning bush- or maybe I was hallucinating from the heat! 
Ryan, Annie and I will pack into the trusty honda fit in about 24 hours to begin our 9 day vacation of glory!  First stop is Dartmouth, MA to spend a few nights with mom and dad... already on the docket is as much beach time as possible, a visit to the brewery Saturday for their fourth of july bbq party, perhaps a day trip to Martha's Vineyard, and some more beach time.  Hopefully time for a visit to the waterfront mecca of delightful seafood and ambiance known as the Back Eddy, and overall, just time with mom and dad is going to be the best treat of all.
Tuesday morning we will depart for New Hampshire, spend the day in Portsmouth and on to Maine where we will spend the remainder of our vacation... a few nights camping in Freeport, Maine on Casco Bay (hopefully connecting with a BC friend and a third (?) cousin along the way) and then on to Belfast, Maine to visit some family friends and all the goodness that exists in Northern Maine!  Then we (may never) come back to Philly on Sunday...  Nonetheless, expect some fun pictures and stories upon our return.  Hopefully I will get to blog once or twice, though internet access will be sparse at best.  And honestly, that's alright with me.