Getting to Know You

My husband and I watched a film yesterday that made us think about our global communication. The film is The Band's Visit and basically centers on an Egyptian police band that gets stranded, because of a miscommunication, in a small town in Israel. The band had been invited to play in another city at the Arab Cultural Center. Because, they have few choices, they end up spending the night with the locals. In order to communicate, they use the universal language of English. By the time the band gets on a bus the next day to the correct city, they have bonded with the locals through their music, shared food, and loves both found and lost. I often wonder how we can bridge these types of differences more in America as well.

One of my friends here in Little Rock has suggested that we can bond with other cultures, religions, and races through a similar experience of the police band. His idea includes sharing a meal once a month with people who are unlike us. We tend to choose our friends mostly because they already share our values; they are simply comfortable to be with for the most part. In most cities like Little Rock, it is easy to put together a diverse group, however, with an abundance of ways to meet others: ethnic festivals in the city, church attendance to churches where the majority of members are not of our own race, and social events outside of work with our colleagues and their families. I truly believe that being able to discuss our lives, our loves, our hopes, our dreams together will bind us together as human beings. I hope to get to know others better in this way within the next few months.