Monday 22 December 2008

On the road 10



In the comfort of a stranger
I do not know how others feel. But being with a stranger, to me, can be quite a refreshing experience.

When you are on the road travelling, you are bound to meet some.

Be they the taxi driver that takes you around, the waiter that serves you, the hotel manager that accommodates you, or the bunch of kids that always pesters you for candies or money.

You can't walk away from them. For you can't probably survive in a strange country alone.

A stranger, if you observe it mindfully, provides you with a great opportunity to practice non-judgmental way of looking at things. When you see him or her for the first time, you have no burden from your previous baggage, and therefore you are more likely to look at the person as he or she is.

You will not label that person as good or bad, interesting or boring, hardworking or lazy, until you know him or her better. That's the trickiest part, once you know a person in details, you begin to judge with your own dualistic notions based on the information you yourself collected.

I like meeting strangers on the road. That feeling of non-judgment really releases me.

An old stranger I met in Patan

2 comments:

3 said...

people, events and things
are all living sutras
that cultivate wisdom

Vancelee Teng said...

the best lessons in life are sometimes taught by a stranger who passes you by in your journey. i have many of those experiences.