Broaden your tunnel vision
A little perspective
City centre.
Thousands of people. Thousands of faces.
Sad, happy, laughing. All kinds of different emotions you see when looking at them.
You smile at them. Most of them don’t return the smile.
Why? Who knows. The world is a dark, bitter place. For most at least. Doesn’t have to be.
But that’s why we’re spreading positivity with our smiles. And to distract from our own problems.
As you walk the streets you come up with questions.
Why are these girls laughing? Why is that man all by himself with his head down? That woman seems to be in a rush, is she someone important? Or does she want to get home to her family?
A sudden realization hits you.
Each and every one of these people has a life story of their own at least as complex as yours.
You stop walking. Stand there in the middle of all these people. You just look around. Imagine what everybody’s up to.
Mindlessly walking the streets now turns into an adventure.
Do you ask some of them what they are up to?
The chances of seeing them ever again are so small.
They pass you and wander into their own world full of responsibilities, problems, emotions. They fade away.
We need the concept “Humans of New York” in more cities.
Do I start it in my city? Sounds fun. Maybe just on an individual level.
Taking time out of our busy days to acknowledge some of the amazing humans around us.
There is so much going on around us we are not aware of.
See somebody texting? They could send an e-mail across the globe. The person across the globe also has their own stuff to do. Interconnectedness.
Enough interesting stories to hear. Experience. Connecting with strangers for the sake of talking to random people.
See if you can listen to some crazy memories and broaden your horizon. Make somebody’s day.