As a child of the 1970s, I was taught to avoid strangers. Strangers back then were considered to be evil, hideous creatures waiting in the shadows to snatch, grab, or otherwise clutch you away from the security of your family. “Stranger Danger!” was a big deal with daily government school announcements reminding us kids not to talk to strangers, television advertisements stating the same thing, and of course, constant stories about what happened to kids who talked to strangers instilled more fear of strangers into our heads.
But today, it seems too few adults today actually talk to other people in real-life settings. Maybe as adults, we have taken the concept of “Stranger Danger!” to a different setting in which people simply avoid every stranger around in favor of familiar Smartphones. I see families eating in restaurants with everyone holding a phone and nobody’s talking, although it does seem at times they’re all reading the same thing on their phones. Still, there’s no real group interaction -- just a series of one-worded answers, nods and shakes of heads, and comments about “the Wifi sucks” or “My battery’s about dead. Does the restaurant have a charger for my phone?”
As I mentioned in Talking to Strangers, one of the most important things I learned from being a political candidate is the simple idea that most people I met on the campaign trails genuinely wanted to have a simple conversation about politics, life, love, and everything in between. Sometimes we did have those conversations but usually, it was little more than me stating my political principles, a handshake and wave goodbye. And of course, one big reason I did not win any of my election races is the simple fact I didn’t talk to enough strangers in my district to win their votes.
And I also have a tendency to avoid talking to strangers for a variety of reasons, most of which have to do with the fact I am deaf and consequently require a different set of circumstances for me to feel comfortable enough to talk to strangers. Another reason I’m writing about talking to strangers is that I hope to start a conversation about talking to strangers, as redundant as that sounds. In an era in which politicians openly encourage people to publicly harass those with different opinions, I think it’s a good exercise for people today to stop talking, listen a little bit, and understand that most of us want to have a genuinely good and productive conversation, for example, politics without the typical drama that follows today (unfriending someone, blocking someone, reporting someone, and so forth).
So … below are a few links that talk about why talking to strangers is, indeed, a good thing to do, and how it can be a positive experience for your own personal growth. Today, I already talked to a few strangers: a server at a restaurant and a barista at a coffee shop. Not exactly random strangers but c’mon, man … I gotta start somewhere.
Be well. Take lots of risks. Live your life. Talk to strangers.
Stuff like that.
Extra Reading:
Why You Should Talk to Strangers
Why You Should Talk to Strangers 2
Ten Reasons Why You Should Talk to Strangers