More Friendly, and More Social as a People

   Today I had an experience that made me think a little about how closed off and private we can sometimes be.  This morning I was driving up a little north of Heber to measure up a bid for my dad's business.  The husband and wife, who's driveway I was measuring for new asphalt, were a friendly couple from England. They were very easy to talk to, and joke around with.  There seemed to be no barriers between us being instant friends.  They could joke around with me, and I could ask them all about their lives as if we already knew each other.

   I wonder why that is, what about them made it so easy for me to talk to them.  I feel like that is how it should be at church, but I can say that it definitely isn't, at least for me.  I know a lot of that has to do with how I view others, but it is still something I think worth thinking about.  The husband and I chatted for a while, and our conversation drifted from how he came from England to Heber Utah, the LDS church and it's missionaries, the differences in why people go to the pub in England versus here in the States, etc.

   It was a really interesting conversation, and he was eager to meet his neighbors and be sociable.  He even invited me back any time I wanted to come by.  I am not even sure what I'm getting at here, but something about his attitude just made me feel so laid back and welcome.

   In the LDS faith, we believe that the gospel needs to be preached throughout the world, but sometimes I think we group together so much that we find it hard to branch out and just be warm and friendly with everyone.  Even within the church, within wards and stakes, I observe in myself and generally in others, a lack of desire/effort/whatever, to be friendly and outgoing towards everyone.

   I know the opposition that divides us, and it's more heated than ever in the world today.  I wish we could figure out, human beings as a whole, how to show that friendly disposition towards everyone.  This opposition is most prevalent in religion and politics.  Those are the two things "you aren't supposed to talk about." right? I personally think that is ridiculous.  That attitude is what causes us to be so judgmental and divided on the subject in the first place.  If we could learn to accept differences in others, and not stereotype others because of the few (for example, terrorists and muslims), we would go so far in the direction of unity and peace. I personally feel like truth would spread much faster to all people if I was more accepting of others and their beliefs, rather than focusing on how they're wrong.

   I realize that that much of what I've written here could be seen as an expression of my own personal short-fallings, and desires to improve.  It is :) I feel like many of us, especially in the church, could use a little bit of out-going juice to liven us up a bit.  The more we make new friends, and meet new people, the more enriched our lives will be, and the more opportunities we have to learn, grow, and help others to do the same.