Hello World, We’re #Strange
Hey there, I’m Strange Alex and I’m excited to meet you. I realize that we haven’t exactly “met” yet, but it’s #2020 and all the rules have gone out the window, so I’ll take you being here as the first step towards connecting.
If you’ve looked around at all lately, you’ve probably felt like the world is more divided than ever. It seems like everywhere we turn, there’s yet another line being drawn to distinguish “us” from “them.” With so many of these divisions arising, it can feel like we only have two options:
- Attempt to reach across differences and understand others, only to be constantly on the outside of everything, shunned by people who agree with you but think you should be more “committed”, and distrusted by those you’re trying to talk to
- Take refuge in a group of “normal” people (aka those just like me) and lose all understanding of (and compassion for) those who aren’t in your “pod”
Neither of these offers us any hope for a future better than we currently have. Either you are destined to be lonely and battle with shame for not “being committed enough” or you wall yourself off from any chances to ever learn or grow from people who have different experiences than yourself, quite often not merely ignoring them but actively distrusting or even despising them.
There has got to be a better way and at With Strangers we believe there is. Our approach is simple. Tell us a bit about yourself, and we’ll create one on one connections with people who might have different perspectives on some of your shared interests. All conversations are private, so there’s no social pressure to preach your convictions loudly, but rather the opportunity to simply listen and share.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be writing more about some of the ways we strive to encourage high-quality, lasting connections between people who otherwise might never even want to say hello to one another. I’ll also be sharing some helpful tips I’ve acquired for actively listening, learning, and building understanding with people who have vastly different backgrounds than I do. I hope you’ll join me.
Stay #Strange,
Alex
