Won't You Be My Neighbor?

“I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks.”
-Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 23, spoken by Scout

To Kill a Mockingbird is my favorite fiction book of all time. I don’t really see it losing it’s #1 spot ever. I nearly lost it last spring when I was coaching track and these students told me how boring they thought the book was. It made me feel really old.

I often find myself classifying people immediately after I meet them. (And I’m sure people do the same to me.) Some people I think are outgoing, or maybe reserved, some are very including, others are not. I make judgments quickly, often without even getting a clue into a person’s story. I think I have people figured out, and even if I am right a lot of the time, I think people are much more than that. I mean, really, aren’t we all confident and insecure, fearful and brave, selfish and gracious?

More times than not, I am too quick to place a person in a box and fail to really understand that person’s story. I was perusing The World According to Mister Rogers (ok, seriously, how do you underline in blog world?), a book of quotations by Mr. Rogers gathered together by his wife after his death. In the foreword, his wife writes:
"A quote he loved especially – and carried around with him – was from Mary Lou Kownacki: “There isn’t anyone you couldn’t love once you’ve heard their story.” There were many times I wanted to be angry at someone, and Fred would say, “But I wonder what was going on in that person’s day.” His capacity for understanding always amazed me. "

I love that. It makes complete sense. Unless we are void of compassion or empathy, I really think even just knowing a smidge more about somebody’s circumstances helps us to understand/love them more.

People are people. I think if I want to relate to people and have more meaningful relationships, I have to be more understanding—of where they are coming from, of where they’ve been. And I really believe the way to do that is to spend time listening, asking questions, and being open.

I can’t believe I just referenced Mr. Rogers…