It is people!
I find it interesting to observe people where-ever I go and in July and August, a 4 week holiday to the northern hemisphere gave me lots of new experiences.
These experiences have replaced a few 'truths' that we tend to collect when we're trying to understand people, especially if we rely on others' experiences, a lifetime of tv shows and a diet of magazines and political views.
I had a chance in July and August to mingle, observe and talk with everyday people.
I was with an extended family in Boston for a combined birthday for two young girls in the seaside suburb of Nantasket. The Healey family were very hospitable, Mum, 4 sons and 2 daughters, daughters in law and the many children.
They reminded me of my own family being a family. But they also exemplified courtesy and hospitality without making a total stranger feel uneasy or out of place. They were normal but instilled in them were great values of love and respect between each of them, fun and the special feeling there is in knowing that you belong and are included in the family and the glow they generated from this flowed out and I felt this. I've also no doubt that they know each probably too much and every now and then a bit of space for themselves is warranted - they're normal.
I stayed in a home in Washington DC with 3 guys (one of them is extra special), in the northeast suburbs where most of the neighbours were black. Unfortunately my preconception of Washington DC was that it was going to be real rough, dangerous and be careful about talking or looking people in the eye type of neighbourhood - this was not to be the case. The neighbours I met or observed were welcoming and cordial. They were'nt downright suspicious of people and seemed very comfortable in their street. Sure the people on other streets looked a little rougher and were a bit more vocal on the buses than my ears were used to but I enjoyed the experiences. The choices for a supermarket in the area seemed poor and highlighted for me the gap in terms of access to good choices of shopping between the have and have-not sectors of american society.
What do my experiences tell me so far about Americans I have met?
They have some great values but they're also just people like you and I.
What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.
He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
