People Are All the Same in So Many Ways
Don’t fight human nature, we are all more alike than different
We are all more alike than different. People are not as complicated as we are sometimes led to believe, and we all want the same basic things.
If we have peace, harmony, and love in our lives we can conquer any obstacles and defeat any threats to our personal security.
I learned this lesson when I was young, and free from parental influences or hometown prejudices when I took my first road trip at the age of 20 years old. It was a humbling and enlightening experience.
I traveled through fifteen different states, starting from my hometown of Chicago and through the lush heartlands of the Midwest through the Rocky Mountain states. All the way to the westernmost coasts of Washington and California.
And then back home down the King’s Highway through Big Sur. The iconic Route 66 passage through the American Southwest, even adding a side trip into Mexico, and then back through El Paso, Texas to Chicago.
I was with my only slightly older uncle and his high school buddy. We were young and dumb, naive and innocent, physically strong but psychologically ignorant.
With every state borderline we crossed, we felt like pioneers and our confidence grew and grew.
We drove cross country and back in a humble VW Beetle, and we somehow, for some reason, expected every state to be different.
Our frame of mind was optimistic, and our goal was fixed and constant. We were on a road trip and we expected the people to look and act like Hollywood extras in a movie.
Yet whenever we stopped for coffee or gas or a restaurant for food, we started noticing an astonishing fact.
No matter what state we were traveling through, the people were all the same! The common humanity always shone through.
Oh sure, there were regional dialects and accents to deal with and different types of clothing and hairstyles, but every person we met was unfailingly kind, helpful, and as curious about us as we were about them.
People were open, honest, and upfront. If we needed directions, they freely gave them to us and even added helpful hints and advice about what to expect when we told them where we were going.
They gave freely, knowing they would never see us again, and of course, they were right. We never passed back through the same areas ever again.
They did it because people are basically kind, warm, and loving. They did it out of the goodness of their hearts.
It didn’t matter what race, religion, or ethnic differences people were. They all wanted to help out, to share in some way our grand adventure, our audacity, and freedom.
Perhaps they envied us, on some level, because we were mobile, travelers, on the road and not tied down to any particular place, region, or way of life.
Perhaps they saw in us the same youthful freedom they once had.
But they were settled down now, fixed in place, the directions of their lives long ago shaped and molded by their own particular set of circumstances and lifestyles.
But we never experienced any prejudice, dislike, or resentment of any kind, from one end of the country to the other. We were always treated fairly and politely.
People were just the same in every state. They wanted to extend a helping hand, they enjoyed giving useful advice, and they thrived on being just naturally friendly.
This was an eye-opening experience for all three of us as we set about our grand adventure, a road trip meant to be the experience of a lifetime.
And it really was an experience that has lasted a lifetime for me. I will always treasure the grand expanses of the country we traveled through and the magnificent scenery.
The roaring rivers and streams that paralleled the road, the vast expanses of the open plains, and the towering majesty of the mountains will always be a part of who I am.
America is a huge, diverse, and beautiful country. You can only see that by driving through it, not flying over in an airplane. I learned that forever lesson on my trip.
People are more alike than different. We are all the same. We are all connected…