I wear brightly colored clothing when I exercise outside. My trips seem to put me in contact with a lot of people who are in a hurry and not particularly aware of their surroundings. Despite this, frequently drivers don't seem to be aware of me or interested in looking out for me, and so it's fortunate that I'm an aware adult rather than a child, because heaven help them if they run over a child! All too often I think we are unaware of and disinterested in the activities of those around us and put them at risk. Unfortunately, we also put ourselves at risk by doing this too.
During the past two weeks, I've had two close encounters with cars while cycling. The first one was in the morning before school where a mother pulled out in front of me without any indication that she was going to from a dead stop as soon as her child left the car. I think she knew she had made a mistake, because she then sped through the school zone. Not to be outdone, I dropped into gear and ended up passing her and forcing her to wait for me while I crossed a street. She still looked at me like I had done something wrong, but if she'd hit me, the cops would have held her accountable, period. The second one was today where a woman who passed me decided to flip around in a street intersection right as I arrived. Again, she looked at me as if I had made an error despite the fact that I was in the bike lane and she had not used a turn indicator.
Many drivers seem to be unaware of or uninterested in the activities of cyclists. Near one elementary school just before school lets out, they park up and down the bicycle lane and force me into the traffic lane, apparently disinterested in the fact that signs loudly proclaim that parking is always forbidden. I wonder how many of them, even though they are adults, don't look out for cyclists because they don't know how to ride a bike. Usually that logic works with children and cars, because I can't reasonably expect a small child to understand the car-child dynamic and that the odds are against him, because they don't drive and have no concept of what it's like to be on the other side. If I were a policeman, I'd go through those zones and ticket every single driver I could. It's a hazard and it's a crime.
Frequently I hear the twisted pretzel logic that it's only a crime if you get caught. Well, if you get caught, it's a huge problem. Some guy in Vegas was convicted of murder for hitting some folks at a bus stop. There was a shooting on the strip. These errors have huge consequences, and it's a shame when those people bite the bullet. I had a student this semester who I could visually tell was on some kind of narcotic. This is not the first time and will probably not be the last. I pulled this person aside and told them that whatever they were taking they should probably stop. I don't see any evidence that they still take something, so perhaps I have prevented them from getting caught.
As politicians prattle proudly about how we are a village, they balkanize us. We are encouraged: "If you see something say something" and asked to rat out our neighbors. They render the reports anonymous to encourage victims to come forward rather than encourage us to go to people on their face and broach the subject. While I understand that confrontation is difficult, it's best to correct something before it gets out of hand. There are times when encouraging anonymous reports is wise; there are times when it's cowardly. I have several scathing student ratings on the internet that amount to libel, and those two individuals sat in my class and acted as if things were copacetic between us. That's cowardly. If you have a problem, go on record.
When we do not defend and look out for others, we in essence betray them. In reaching out to others, even if they reject the ovation, the life you save might be your own. How many people have been held accountable for not doing something when they could? If you see something, say something, but say it to THEM. Say it to someone so that it can be nipped in the bud before a bad choice becomes a habitual offense. While the parents parked in the school parking seem innocuous, what happens when they run over a child? While inattentiveness to me on a bicycle is fine because I pay attention, what happens when due to attentiveness they end up in jail for vehicular manslaughter? It's not like the signs are always difficult. I wear flourescent green for crying out loud, and so that means if you do not see me it's because you were not looking.
This Christmas, as I am apt to do, I think of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. He was looking at things along the way, probably because he knew the region through which he was passing was prone to bandits. He was looking at the man in the road. He was also looking out for him, and he went far and beyond in not only taking him to an inn but also taking upon himself the costs of caring for that man. He was a Good Shepherd. Elitist politicians talk all the time about what we need to do to look out for one another as an excuse to steal our money, but I doubt very much that any of them would have come to Las Vegas Blvd and Owens to help us feed the homeless. Most folks are willing to do just about anything as long as it doesn't cost much, but it doesn't have to. Most people just want someone to pay attention to them and do something small. Most people just want a kind word or a smile or you to hold the door for them or something, anything. They don't even really want money. They want to matter.
In my syllabus every semester, I use a pun. I tell students we will study matter and things that matter. Looking out for others shows them that they matter. It shows God that we realize that we are not the center of the universe. It shows our posterity that we are part of the solution. It shows that we are actually human beings. In his epistle to the Church, James writes the following: "Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." In addition to the sins of the sinner, we also hide a multitude of our own. Part of reformation consists in rising above our old selves and lifting up others we meet along the way. In our busy lives, we often hasten to run them down to get that PS4 on Black Friday or to get a promotion we don't deserve or to have a woman who loves someone else. I don't understand why that matters to some people. If it's not real, I don't really find it worth having.
Look out for others. The signs are there for those who are looking. You see, we only usually find things for which we look. Mayhap we don't find opportunities to serve or minister or help or win because we're looking for other things. We're too busy looking at our iphones or portfolios or facebook feeds to see the data that will transform our lives and help us transform the lives of those around us. There are people out there who need our help, and there are people watching us to see if we actually mean what we say by the actions we make. I still remember the look of incredulity on my sister's face the first time she heard me curse, like a child who just discovered there is no Santa Claus. It showed me the effect my choices had on inspiring others to be of good cheer and hold to hope and keep the faith because they saw me walk the walk. Rather than focusing on saving face or saving ourselves, the Christmas season encourages us to look out for others. We have a chance and a duty nay privilege to be the miracle in the lives of others and be part of Christ's efforts to save their lives. In the process, we have the promise that those who lose their lives for His sake shall find them, that the life we WILL save will at least be our own. It's a winning proposition.
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