As I travel in buses and on the subway; as I walk the cobblestone streets; as I peruse shops selling wares…I understand only the voice in my head. It is a strange experience to be surrounded by voices that express words and thoughts which I cannot understand. I hear sounds, mostly Czech, occasionally German or Russian, which enter my mind without any recognition of meaning. And so the only voice I hear is my own.
But I see faces…young faces, old faces, men and women, a few children...all of them strangers. Virtually no one smiles. I wonder why. Are they happy? Do they have hope? We stand side by side…together…alone. As I hold open the door for the person behind me, a cautious smile extended in thanks reaches out to grasp this small act of kindness. Can God be seen in the conscious acknowledgement of another’s presence? Can kindness open eyes to see more than my face?
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5 comments:
This sounds very similar to the Ukraine. We were told that it is considered foolish to laugh ot talk loudly in public or to smile at strangers. A cultural thing I guess. I can't tell you how erie it was standing in a crowded subway station not hearing a single voice, or having to whisper to eachother in a packed bus.
I did not know you were a poet
Excellent.
Maybe you should try speaking your own language and see how people respond. I'm sure you could drag some interesting speech out of LOTR...ha ha
Not knowing the language somtimes opens the door for opportunity. We tried to order at a non-tourist restraunt and were helped by a university student who knew english. We had a great time visiting with him. The doors are there if we are willing to be step out of our comfort zone.
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