On my way to work this morning, I stopped at a street blocked off by emergency vehicles, and saw first responders giving CPR to someone in the small park nearby. I turned off my radio as I sat at the light, next to yet quite part of this scene taking place. I was struck by the contrast between the urgency in the movements of the emergency crew and the slow strolling of the tourists who happened to be approaching the park, not knowing what was happening just a few yards away.
We know what’s going on in our own heads, and that’s about it. What would it mean to broaden our scope of awareness, to wonder what is happening with others, to develop deep curiosity about the perspectives and experiences of people who are different from us? We can never know what’s happening down the block, out of sight. But we can work to truly see and hear those around us.
