Monday, November 21, 2016

How to be a nice human being.

I had to stop by the dollar store on my way home from work yesterday to pick up some butterfly strips, as my oldest daughter cut her leg on some glass and needed something beyond regular band-aids. (Her leg is fine, by the way.) Anyhow, I'm waiting in line behind three or four other customers and I noticed a People magazine with the headline "President Trump". It got me thinking about how divided we seem to be as a country right now. So much name calling, so much fear, so much talk about race and politics and...man I'm just tired of it all.

So there I am, standing in line, thinking these thoughts while I'm waiting to pay for my $1 butterfly strips. I look behind me and this young black man walks up and gets in line behind me. He's about my age, wearing jeans and a hoodie, and carrying a few household items including children's gloves and glazed frosted animal crackers. Figuring he must have kids and being the extrovert that I am, I struck up a conversation that went something like this:

Me: Hey how's it going?
Him: I'm good, you?
Me: I'm doing well, just getting off work. (pause) So do you have kids, or just a fan of animal crackers?
Him: (smiles) Yeah I've got five kids.
Me: (gets excited) No way! We are expecting our seventh!
Him: (reaches out and fist bumps) Man, that's the way you do it!
Me: Yeah, we love big families.
Him: Lots going on.
Me: Right? Families are busy! So are you from around here?
Him: Yep, Canton born and raised.
Me: My wife's from Canton and I grew up on the other side of the state.
Him: OK. You live near here?
Me: Yeah, just up the road in Plain.
Him: Gotcha, cool.
Me: Well listen, nice talking with you. Have a good night, enjoy those kids.
Him: You too man, good night. (another fist bump)

About this time I'm realizing that all those thoughts about division and race and politics and hate are, well, only as true insofar as we let them be. I know nothing about that man's beliefs and he knows nothing about mine. Sure, we could assume. We could project. We could avoid. But I choose not to. I choose to give the benefit of the doubt. I choose to engage. I choose to be a nice human being. Hopefully you will too, and we will start to get back to the things that bind us, rather than divide us.

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