People are People

Well, I'd like to welcome you to my first blog... So, please, correct me if I blog wrong... I am sure there is some on-line acronym or something like that for someone who blogs wrong, but I have no idea what it is because, well, I am new to this!

Regardless, I wanted to share something that I feel could create world peace. Yeah, a cliche', I know. "World Peace," people say, "Is that even possible?" I think so. (All of this is my opinion, just an opinion people, do with it what you may and I know there will be naysayers; there always will be. Nothing I can do about that.)

When I was a child, and I am probably dating myself, there was a song, written and performed by Depeche Mode. Yeah, Depeche Mode, remember them? If you don't, that's okay, you can always do a Google search for them or whatever it is that people do these days and you can find out all about them.

Regardless, this song was called, "People Are People". I will not get into the lyrics and all that but my main point here is the chorus line, "People are People so why should it be, you and I should get along so awfully?"

The music video was showing countries in wars, people fighting and other such depictions. I was all of 12 at the time I saw this and I thought about this.

Yeah, why should it be that you and I should get along so awfully? Why should anyone get along awfully?

At the ripe young age of 12 I was well, basically (relative to now) fresh out of Grade School and the stings of taunting from other children in my school were still quite fresh. At age 7, on a daily basis, I'd come home from a school (which prior to this I had loved) in tears due to other children calling me names, making fun of my religion, my glasses, my very thin physique and really, anything they could think of. While this is not my point at this time; children will be children; I mean really, a lot of those persons who did that are now some of my best friends! The point is that this was still fresh in my mind, it was still upsetting to me.

I must say, as an aside, as a child I was taught differently than those children at my school; one should love their fellow man and not fight and destroy and belittle someone. I will not say I never did; I had my moments, but looking back at that, it was usually because that person was antagonizing me... I had to fight back sometimes... :)

Regardless, again, this is not to point out that I was a victim; that is being the effect of life, not being the cause of what happens to oneself; I was curious as to why people were angry with each other and so much hate was created.

As life went on, I grew up to, of course, start working for a living. And at one point I had a opportunity to travel on one of my jobs. This question lingered. And lingered and lingered.

I travelled all over the US, Mexico, Australia, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and, well, too many places to mention... In the course of this travel, people, well, were a daily occurrence. And I loved it!

Americans, Latinos, Italians, Germans, Australians, Hungarians, South Africans, West Africans, Russians, Spaniards, Japanese people, British people, Dutch people, French people, etc.

And every one of them had a story to tell. I would sit down with strangers on the plane, trains, buses, restaurants, hotel lobbies and basically spoke to anyone I could. People rock. I love people. I learned so much from people and I always walked away happy.

Many, many times, when I have just spoken with people, they tell me that I am different, what is it about me? "You are charismatic" or "I like talking to you" or, on the phone, having never seen me, "You sound very beautiful" and "I do not want to hang up the phone".

Well, after some time of not really knowing what it was, I figured it out. Hold onto your hats and glasses folks, because the truth is sometimes very, very simple and, well, to be blunt, almost anticlimactic...

The answer is, in my mind and in my opinion:

Communication. See, simple. Almost too simple.

Yes, communication is key. Communication is love. Communication raises the authenticity, truth, genuineness with others. It shows people you know they are there and that they exist. Everyone is important.

I have had many a sales job. While I loved it, I loved it because of communication and meeting new people all of the time. I disliked it because I would always have to leave after meeting someone (and possibly selling something to them) and most of the time I'd never speak to them again. I also hated it because I'd have to be fast because time was money. But I wanted to be there and communicate.

Not about rumors or superficial things. No, about deep-seated beliefs or whatever it was that interested the other person. And I'd listen and find out that I was interested and could communicate about that subject and really enjoy myself. To me, good communication is better than a good book. And a little communication is better than none at all.

If someone cannot communicate, he is better of dead.

"Uh, what?" you ask, "Come again?"

Well, think about it, this brings me back to my original point, "People are people, so why should it be, you and I should get along so awfully?"

Why would someone hate another person if he had never spoken to him? Answer that question. Why? And how, if he cannot communicate, can he live with such hate? That is not living, in my opinion.

Yes, this goes back as far as Grade school. What do children know about communication?

Not much. They learn (hopefully), as they get older. Case in point: those persons who were children who were belittling others who then grow up and voila, they are your best friend! (Of course there are those who still never learn to communicate. Where are they now? Are they successful in life? Maybe. Or are they suffering?) Food for thought...

A little story, which may or may not seem off the subject:

Once I was at a hospital in Los Angeles, waiting in the emergency waiting room for a friend who had to get stitches. I was bored out of my mind, had not brought a book with me because, well, when an emergency arises, who grabs a book?

A Latino man came in with his small child of about 5 years of age. The child was writhing in pain and was in obvious agony (duh, they were in an Emergency room at a hospital). The father looked quite anxious. He was a few seats away from me. I got interested in this small boy.

I looked over at him and smiled. His eyes were slits as his face was scrunched up in pain. His cheeks were pale.

But, with one smile, his eyes became a little less slit. He lifted his head just a little. I looked away for a moment and then looked back at him. His eyes were open now and he was looking at me, his attention off of his pain. I smiled again. He did not, however, his face flushed a little.

Again, I looked away, and then looked back, this time for a little longer. He was still looking at me. I smiled again and waved a little, mouthing, "Hola" to him. His eyes lit up and he smiled. His little hand lifted a little and he lifted his head and looked at his father. His father looked at him and spoke a few words in Spanish.

He placed his head back on his fathers shoulder, looking at me. At this point, his face was no longer scrunched up, his eyes were on me and I smiled again and said "Hola" to him.

He lifted his head and said, "Hola" quietly and a little shy but at this point, his father was looking at me, as was the child. The child was smiling and saying something to his father in Spanish.

Now, I will never know if it was just that little bit of attention and love, yes love, that got him out of his pain but the next thing I knew, they were leaving and the father looked at me and said, "Gracias" and smiled.

True story. And I was happy.

So, maybe you are asking yourself, "What's the point here?"

My point, or points are:

A little love goes a long way.

A lot of love goes even further.

Communicate, don't hate. Good communication with a little genuine care (my opinion), is love.

Let people know that you know they exist.

Let people have their space, their opinions, their decisions.

Listen to them. Understand them and you will find a little love in the world. Guaranteed.

Now, if we could only get the world leaders on top of this one and really communicating... My opinion; world peace. No joke.

Well, there is my first blog... Now what do I do? :)