What Would You Do?

While walking to work today, I passed a man lying in the middle of the sidewalk. He appeared to be homeless, and it was unclear whether he was sleeping, passed out or even breathing. In the 5 seconds from the time I spotted him to the time I walked by him, a rush of thoughts came to me: Was he dead? Sleeping off a bender? Was it my social responsibility to stop and check on him? Did I really want to touch him? Should I at least call 911? Would this even qualify as a 911 emergency? Was this some social experiment in the vein of the Kitty Genovese studies? Well, I didn't stop, but called 311 when I got to the office a few minutes later. I figured that was a happy medium response. Turns out somebody else had already called and somebody was already dispatched to check on him. So I can continue my day with a clear conscience and a happy appreciation for 311, which was remarkably efficient.