You Should Talk to Strangers

 

As a child, you were repeatedly told not to talk to strangers. While this was good advice when you were a child, avoiding people who are different or “strange” will leave you uninformed and isolated as an adult. You can choose to only have superficial conversations with coworkers, service workers, and acquaintances, or you can decide to ask questions, listen and maybe change your thinking.

During my two weeks in Southern Africa, my assumptions about people were continually challenged.

Before my trip, I thought that any white person in South Africa, over 40 years of age must have agreed with apartheid and benefited from it. However, my 52 year old white tour guide, “Tom” told me that his mother secretly prepared correspondence for the African National Congress that opposed apartheid. Tom told me that he was drafted into the army. He said he was forced to commit acts in Angola and in Soweto that haunt him to this day. Once he left the army, he attempted to spend time in Great Britain but was denied a visa because the issuing official assumed Tom was a “racist __________”.

And then there was the 60-year-old white taxi driver, “Shawn” whose marriage crumbled because his wife supported apartheid and he didn’t. So much for my assumptions.

Once I returned to the States, I had lunch with a white friend. She wanted to know if it would be safe to take her children to South Africa. Her assumptions about white South Africans were similar to mine before the trip. I assured her that there were many white South Africans who were opposed to apartheid and who supported the move to democracy.

During my few days in Lesotho, I was forced to question my presumption that the Western way was the right way. There are only four commercial flights into Lesotho every day. I mentioned to my daughter that it would make more sense to consolidate the four flights into two larger flights. My daughter commented that with four flights, the personnel at the airport have full time jobs. Perhaps in terms of a corporate bottom line, two flights would be better, but for the few dozen people who work at that airport, four flights make more cents.

While in Africa, I frequently heard the term, “African time,” which simply means that you don’t have to rush through life. There were a few mornings when my daughter and I were not ready to leave when our drivers arrived. I appreciated it when our tour guides and hosts said, “take your time and finish your breakfast.” For me “African time” means receiving grace. It is something that we should all extend to others.

Here are some reasons you should venture outside of your circle and talk to people who are different from you:

1. What you believe about people could be inaccurate.

2. Your vision of the world is limited by your assumptions. Have the courage to examine your beliefs about how things should operate.

3. The Lord is global. His love extends to every corner of the earth. Shouldn’t yours? How can you love a neighbor that you won’t talk to?

You don’t have to travel across the globe to get a different view of the world. Who will you have a conversation with this week?