Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. Winston Churchill.

Like a pair of giant needles, technology and globalization have knitted us together. Whether we live in Toronto, Toledo or Timbuktu, our world has become a global village, increasingly interdependent, interconnected, demanding we broaden our world view, like it or not.

Broadly speaking, a world view is a set of expectations and biases we have formed that shape how we see and feel about people in other nations, even in our own neighbourhoods – each of them with their own world view.

Accommodation isn’t always easy but as distances continue to shrink, it is good to remember that, regardless of where we stand on the globe, most people are just trying to get through the day, striving to live out their personal destinies and be the the best they can be.

We are not the same, of course. Our cultures, religions and societal differences can make strangers of us all – but only if we let them.

The songs we sing, the stories we tell, sounds and words that to others may sound foreign, even threatening.

Still, particularly at this time, as the world continues to get smaller, meaner and less inclusive, more than ever, we need to look into our hearts and make a greater effort to narrow the gap.

And to be reminded that a stranger is only a person whose song or story we have never heard, if only we are brave enough to listen.

Hmmm…

Stay safe. Stay strong. Stay connected.  

I hope to see you back here again soon.