strangers are people you see, meet or hear of. but whose name you don’t know. there might be strangers in your community. there are probably people in neighboring communities who are strangers to you.
when you meet strangers, you probably feel a bit uncomfortable because you don’t know them. often, all you know is they might have the ability to harm you (to decrease your wellbeing) and so you might feel un comfortable because you don’t know what they are going to do.
It is sensible to be careful with strangers. but it is also worth remembering that:
- people often have the ability to improve your wellbeing (people have the ability to do well).
- most people have the same basic needs as you do (the same need to feel well and be well).
- you usually have the ability to improve their wellbeing (even if it is only in a small way. by being polite, smiling, or saying hello, for example).
- humanity.
There are 7,000,000,000 people alive in our planet. You will never see, meet or even hear of most people. but all people share our planet earth and almost all people have the same basic needs as you do (everyone wants to feel well and be well).
People you will never meet can affect your wellbeing.
If someone somewhere decides to send your country to war (for example), your quality of life might become worse. If someone somewhere accidentally drops some poison in a river (for example), the poison could be carried along in the water very far away and make you sick.
If someone somewhere decides to open a hospital (for example) your wellbeing might improve. most people want to live happily together with other people. most people want to live in a world that is peaceful and fair.