I was watching a man crossing the street earlier today as I was driving my kids around and about. There was nothing particularly noteworthy about the man, he was a bit older then me but not much. He was just walking and waiting to cross after I turned. There was absolutely nothing unique or interesting or thought provoking at all. Simple an man, waiting to cross the street. And as I turned, I glanced his way briefly and felt oddly conscious of the fact that he could be me. That is to say, as I've done so many, many times in many, many places, I could be waiting to cross the street as a stranger and his kids turned past me. Not noticing me. Me not noticing them.
What stuck for me though was thinking that if he could be me, has he gone through a divorce? Has he any children? Has he had any illnesses that took him out of commission for awhile? Maybe something he recovered from and it changed his views. Did he believe in God or was he an Atheist? Did he struggle to balance the demands in his own life? Did his career path include technology or craftsmanship or manual labor? What about his youth, did he have a positive childhood, did his family stay close or perhaps were then never in the first place? Did he travel? Go to war? Love cars? Have a fascinating hobby?
This guy on the corner could have been me, and I think it's really important to stay conscious about the fact that every single one of us, is "us". I strongly believe that the more we slow down and recognize this, the less likely we are to think the guy that went through the 10-item lane with 12 items is a jerk, or to be irritated with the woman who's fender-bender delayed our arrival at work (when we really don't want to be there in the first place), or that the random stranger you might deem a "nobody", is really somebody. To themselves, and like lots of other people too.
It's so easy to get into routines and miss out of the subtle awareness of our surroundings, people included. But it's pretty amazing when you do pay attention and start to make some connections.