The World on a Train


In late March I was on the "L" in Chicago traveling from the airport to the heart of the city for a conference. As I stood near the doorway of the train, I observed the people who were sitting and standing around me. In so many ways the "L" was a microcosm of our society in the U.S. in that I was surrounded by abounding diversity particularly cultural. I saw the same thing when I took the BART in San Francisco, the subway in NYC or even the "T" in Boston.

There were exchanges in different languages and the response by those of us listening in? Simple acceptance that's most likely rooted in the reality of difference. I'm guessing many just blocked out what they heard as it's probably commonplace to hear unfamiliar words.

People didn't blink if someone came onto the train wearing a hijab or turban. A place like Chicago (or NYC or L.A.) embodies our nation's history (often painful and conflicted) with diversity resulting from decades of  immigration, enslavement, etc. As I noted in a blog posting from years back, it simply is. However, such diversity doesn't come easily. It's work, hard work, to choose to interact with those who are different and discover common ground.

What I saw on these trains counters the current rhetoric in the presidential election. My hope is that the citizens of the country of my birth, the United States, will choose this better way of embracing the differences that exist among us and caring for each other because of our common humanity.


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