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Now is the time to…

Mix It Up.

One of the golden rules of childhood is “Don’t talk to strangers.” It’s a great rule as far as safety is concerned. Unfortunately, this stranger aversion creates a cloning device. Our peer groups are so opposite from diverse that we visit the same stores, patronize the same restaurants, watch the same TV shows, and see the same movies.

The problem with all this sameness is that it prevents you from reaching out to people who are different. If you want to make a difference in this world, you’ve got to mix it up with different people, different ages, different cultures, different thoughts.

Spending all your time with the same group of people severely limits your life. Your knowledge is limited because you have to rely on the information of people who have about the same amount of experience (or inexperience) as you.

Most important, however, your impact in the world is limited because your solutions show an ignorance of the big picture. If you want to shed this ignorance, you’ve got to step beyond the safety of your peer group and get to know some “strangers.” Here are some strangers your should talk to:

Older people. Once upon a time in America, grandparents and older adults lived with the family. Children and teenagers spent lots of time with older people and learned about life from them. Now, most people are separated from their grandparents by miles, busy lives or death. If you want to tap into the sixty or more years of knowledge and experience of the older generation, you’ve got to go out of your way to get them. Get to know your older relatives. Let them expand your experience base by a few decades. Hear the dreams they had when they were young: find out what’s most important to them now. Do it before it’s too late.

Kids. Back in the “good old days,” families were bigger and people tended to lived closer to their relatives You couldn't help being surrounded by kids of all shapes and sizes: brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, cousins¬—and a whole bunch of other kids contributed by prolific neighbors. Today, unless you work at a daycare site or do lots of babysitting, you don’t spend much time with kids. This means you’re missing out on certain views of life that can be seen only through the eyes of a child.

Different People. America is the great melting pot, home to people of all races, languages, religions and cultures. Yet, most of us spend our time with people just like us. Middle-class families befriend other middle-class families; Christians associate with other Christians. We don’t even have to try—it just happens that way. We naturally seek out our own people.

World Changers. The point is to go beyond your comfort zone into someone else’s. A word of caution, however: Sometimes people go beyond stepping outside their peer group; they abandon it altogether. I see fifteen-year-olds who mix easily with adults but are social outcasts among their peers. Or others who despise their own ethnicity. World changers tear down walls that separate people—they don’t leap over a wall to hide on the other side.

First, learn how to relate to the people around you, then step out and get to know some strangers.

                                                                                                                                -Todd Temple