The beauty in the strange - about humanity

Keeping this short and simple: Embrace the good, acknowledge the bad.

We get caught up noticing how someone acts or looks, especially when it‘s odd or unlike ourselves. Giving the benefit of the doubt has become rare in a fast-paced judging era. We like to stay in our comfort zone when it comes to getting to know people. Interaction means gaining perspective and ultimatedly widening your horizon. There are many interesting (or at first glance not so interesting) people who won´t fit in all of your "likabilty boxes", and why should they have to in the first place? Isn´t it beautiful to be surprised and taken aback once in a while. Learning from people who are the opposite of us is what it truly means to be "open" to what the world has to offer. Reflecting on their behaviour finally ends in self-reflection and helps you mature.  

Sitting in my french course with four people completely different to me has made me come up with this entry. I went from being entertained by their different character traits to being engaged. From getting to know individual motives that brought them here to explicit details about their lives until now. They hold a special place in my heart without knowing it, just by being who they are: The elderly man with the french mustache, the lady whose daughter lives in Paris, the studious midwife and the 40 year old blonde. This randomly formed group has allowed me to see the potential in any group of people. 

 Give up judgement, become an observer, romanticise. 

Seeing people and accepting them the way they are; for better or for worse, every person has their issues and flaws. One person seems exhaustingly egocentric while the other lacks confidence, yet we can appreciate both. Just like we would when reading about them in a book, we should be able to see them as necessary characters on the theatrical stage of life. You would not read a book solely about people like yourself, would you? The narrator forces you to take a step behind the curtain and dig deep into a characters fears and motives, only to notice that we are more alike than we like to admit.

Trying to be individual, we loose who we are and expect others to fulfill countless moral and aesthetic standards.  You are the most unique when you don´t try to prove it, the most charismatic when you recognize your experiences as human and therefore common.

We grow through each others company, no matter whose the person in front of us. Become an active listener and observer to your surroundings. There are many stories to be heard once you have an open ear for them. 

Appreciate the antagonist as much as you would your companion. This way we may regain the feeling of community and love for one another. 

There´s that thought.