City Streets

We are in Los Angeles visiting our son and his family.
Yesterday, while they had a doctor’s appointment for their son, my wife and I sat on a bench outside the clinic and watched the world go by. And, it was literally watching the world. In the span of a few minutes we saw Asian, African, Latino, Indian, European, black and white Americans walk by. Most walked by with the anonymity of strangers passing on a city street, but some passed by laughing and talking with each other. What I saw yesterday is not unique to Los Angeles, but is replicated a million times each day on city streets from Los Angeles to Chicago to New York; from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Indianapolis, IN to Austin, TX.

When you stop to think about it, it is pretty incredible.
For all the tribalism that we still see and experience and hear about in the news and for all of the racial tensions that still exist in our country and around the world, yesterday the world passed by me in relative peace.
There was no name calling.
No fighting.
No crossing the street to avoid the people who didn’t look like you or speak with the same accent with which you spoke.
Each day millions of people practice what I imagine and think the world will one day be like.
Yes. We still have a long way to go.
But, when you stop to consider it, think of how far we have come.