You Should Wander the Streets and Talk to Strangers

Let us take as a starting point the notion that communities are enriched by unique individuals with noble intentions. Keeping this on a local level, let’s consider a “community” to be a city or town at the very largest, but ideally something smaller, the type of group in which there is still a bond and cohesion created simply by common experiences and hometown pride.

Let us consider Socrates in his time wandering the streets of Athens as an example of one such individual and place. For no reason other than it is what he felt like doing, Socrates could be found daily in the Agora conversing with youth and not necessarily teaching them about the world, but teaching them the critical thinking skills they would need to analyze the world more rationally. 

This was not his job and he was not even well appreciated for this work. Quite the contrary, he taught critical thinking to the youth so effectively that the paranoid establishment condemned him to death. Apparently it was “corrupting the youth” to teach them ways to see folly in the older generations’ indoctrinated way of thinking.

Historical context aside, Socrates is example par excellence of an individual who made the people around him better (assuming you think learning to think for one’s self is a good thing) and intellectually enriched his city/community simply by being a part of it. From his group of “followers” came many of the most famous thinkers in western history, most notably Plato, who would immortalize Socrates through his writings and establish the first formal institute of education, The Academy. Here he would teach many philosophers who’s names are now lost to history but who’s ideas most certainly influenced the world around them. He would also teach Aristotle here, who would in turn educate Alexander the Great. The actions and writings of these few people alone, for better or for worse, would define the next 1,000+ years of western history.

We can see then that one man, simply living his life as felt he was meant to, can have incalculable influence over not only his immediate community but also untold generations into the future. Socrates was never a political leader or general yet most people today know his name far better than any ancient Greek who was. He did not single handedly shape his community, to be sure, there were many influences at play during this time period, but he was certainly one of the sparks.

Socrates was only one man though, and not everyone would have had access to him for any number of reasons. Thus to outsiders, his following almost seemed cult-ish, it was so singular and unique. In terms of social norms, the ancient Greeks were very conservative so this uniqueness made him an easy target for those who weren’t fans of things changing or, perhaps, progressing.

 But what if there hadn’t been just one man like Socrates? What if there had been one hundred? Or one thousand, wandering the streets of Athens, examining life? What if there were 10,000 or 100,000 Socrates today wandering the streets of America, engaging in philosophical conversations with strangers, talking, mingling, learning and trying to understand why people think the things they do?

Socrates is an easy example because what he conversed about (ethical philosophy, seeking the good life, justice and beauty in society) are things that any person would benefit from learning about. But unique individuals come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. What they share is personal integrity and a commitment to being true to themselves. Integrity and authenticity, by definition, can’t be faked, and when we come into the presence of someone who possess this confidence it is unmistakable. Often times, even if we don’t necessarily agree with what they are saying/representing, we are still inspired by their personality and presence.

So the call to action is this: Shouldn’t we do more to inspire, ferment, and encourage the development of unique individuals like this? Rather than investing in abstract concepts and inanimate objects, wouldn’t this be a more authentic way to revitalize cities and communities? 

Here in America, it is a tall order, and there’s no promise we won’t, at least metaphorically, suffer the same fate as Socrates. But when you talk to people, you seldom hear them say how much they are looking forward to a future in which all cities look exactly the same, contain the exact same businesses, and generally are indistinguishable from anywhere else. We love character and uniqueness, and these qualities arise organically, no amount of enlightened corporate brainstorming can engineer authenticity and you can’t copy/paste character.

We should encourage each of us to share more of ourselves, to open up about more of our crazy ideas. Sure there are charlatans out there, people quick to pervert this idea to make a buck or gain influence, but there are also many people out there who just want the world to be a better place. 

Start small, in your neighborhood, in your workplace, in your home. Show your appreciation for those with the courage to do the same. Ignore the social media “influencers” who exist for no reason other than to steal your attention and “likes” and notice the neighbor looking to start a community garden, or the teacher focused on making sure their lesson plans are engaging. Converse with the people next to you, instead of on the other side of the globe and screen. There’s nothing wrong with friends around the world, but you should have some you can share dinner with as well. 

More than anything, share the things you are passionate about, the things that make you excited, and when you see a kindred spirit, let them know his or her message is being heard. Do not passively let the world be created around you by entities whose only qualification to do so is having more money and power. We the people live on this planet, and our voices should be heard.

In general, be authentically you, the world needs this, and may someday appreciate it.