Riding on the metro in Washington DC there seems to be an unwritten rule that you don’t really talk to people unless you already know them. There are plenty of exceptions, but for the most part you sit or stand in sometimes very close proximity and you do your own thing. You listen to your headphones, you make your phone calls (which brings personal into public in a way people don’t seem to notice, but that is another blog perhaps), you read your newspaper, you take a nap, you do whatever you do, but no matter what, you isolate because that’s just what everyone does. It’s often the same in other cities too and plenty of other situations where we seem to maintain our childhood instruction not to talk to strangers. The thing is, there is generally no good reason for it and perhaps if we actually did talk to each other the world would be a friendlier and more connected place. People might feel less isolated and less alone. In the past week and a half I admit to at least partially maintaining the status quo (though in my defense, it’s hard to engage with people who have gotten really good at not looking at anyone), but on a few occasions I have broken that rule and ended up having some pretty deep conversations. One woman next to me was clearly having a very bad day and needed to talk to someone and all it took was a, “how was your day?” to open the door for her to release some burdens that were weighing on her. I heard stories about job struggles and car struggles, talked to a young person trying to decided what to do with their life, one who loved their life and as an added bonus, I even taught a woman how to pronounce Puyallup (if you don’t know just ask). I can isolate with the best of them, but I guess the point is that sometimes we have to take that risk and break the unwritten rules. You never know what kind of impact you might have or what gifts you might receive. You might make a friend, but even if you don’t you will have created a human connection in an often all too disconnected world and there is something to be said for that. Sometimes we need to question the rules and ultimately make our own.