My children are from the country. This fact was made really clear to me when our family travelled out to a medical conference in Denver.
Anna, Vince, and Elliot would attempt to strike up conversations with others in the airport, on the plane, and even on the shuttle going to our rental car. Often the person would look up from his or her smart phone with a look of distress.
In a small town, your are expected to converse with those around you, whether or not you really know them. On the other hand, for city dwellers, it seems to be their goal to pretend that none of the thousands of people around them really exist.
Someone who lives in an urban area told me that if they acknowledged everyone around them, that's all they would get done in a day.
Perhaps that is true.
At the same time, there is something important that is lost when we lose that sense of community that is present in a small town. It is sad that some of the loneliest people live their lives surrounded by multitudes of humans who seldom acknowledge their existence.
It is a good thing to talk to other people, even if we don't know them. It is a blessing to interact more with real humans than with Siri.
"No man is an island." All too often people act like they are living on a peninsula -- scarcely connected with the others around them. Far better to reach out and speak to someone in your path today. You both will be the better for it.
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