In one line: Some big ideas on the ripple effect & potential impact the micro-interactions we have with strangers every day may have on solving some of the world’s problems—if nothing else, a quite novel & unique perspective.
In one more line: If you’re looking for some motivation in meeting new people, talking to strangers, and some ideas/mental models in how to think about these things, this might be worth a quick burn.
Rating: 4/10
- We categorize (stereotype) people as a shortcut to learning about them
- When we don’t have intimacy in our lives—a sense of community, of belonging, a sense of closeness—we suffer
- Hello, how are you, etc — phatic communication—nothing of semantic value, only social value; most of us don’t want real answers, rather just to acknowledge each others existence
- People feel good when they talk to strangers even when they expect not to
- When we walk out the door, we throw our jackets on—its a thin, invisible shell that keeps the soft parts of yourself safe from the people you don’t know
- People tend to mirror each other, especially when they want to be liked
- Disclosure logic = vulnerability and disclosure begets vulnerability and disclosure
- The more we listen the more people will want to talk because our culture has led to people not listening to each other anymore
- We often communicate better w strangers than close ones because we know they cant read our minds the way we assume those close to us can (but cant in reality)
- Discomfort always shows an honest hand
- The beauty of interactions with strangers is that they are unexpected and full of surprises and we never know what’s gonna happen
- Without nuanced perception, our fears are a brutal barricade against the presence and openness that could allow encounters w strangers to change injustice in the world we live in. Categorical & universal fear feeds prejudices that become oppressive laws & unforgiving policies, justification for social control, and everyday violence
- Empathy is not inherited, rather an ability typically developed in early childhood; can be fostered or squelched and often our ability depends on our formative experiences
- our level of feeling of connection to someone influences our ability to vicariously understand and accept others
- Cosmopolitan – first coined in ancient greek and then during enlightenment—were citizens of the universe first and associate w nation state 2nd
Philoso-Feed 