yurayurateikokuさんの おぼえた日記 - 2023年6月26日(月)

Let’s Talk to Strangers (1)

Hey, Frank, remember when you told me your father encouraged you to talk to strangers?
Yes, I do. It was good advice. Why do you ask?
Well, I’d like to know more about this way of thinking. You see, I feel it’s harder to talk to strangers these days. Our world seems to have turned inward because of the pandemic, and we keep hearing news about new variants and rising hate crime. Sometimes I wonder if the concept of “Stranger Danger” is creeping back.
Thanks for asking about my father, Kyohei. He believed strongly in engaging with strangers. He was a first-generation Lebanese immigrant and owned an import-export business. Dad used to say that if you deal only with people you know, your world will stay small. He taught me to break out of my comfort zone and talk to people I didn’t know. He also emphasized the advantage of being multilingual so I could communicate with people from all over the world.
How very cool. I like his attitude.
Yes, he was such an inspiration to me. The funny thing is, Dad was actually an introvert. But every day he would force himself to speak to strangers. Taxi drivers, security guards, store clerks, cashiers, and police officers were all cheerfully drawn into casual conversations with him.
Strangers are one of the richest and most important resources we have when it comes to developing communication skills.