What do you….

Hans Christian Andersen said, “To travel is to live.” While I appreciate the sentiment, I would argue that there is much more to living than travel. Community is developed at home. Family and friends bring joy and fulfillment to our lives that no beach vacation or tourist experience can ever match. That being said, I absolutely love to travel. It opens my eyes to the beautiful diversity of cultures, languages, customs, and landscapes that distinguish this planet from all the other rocks floating through space. When we get out of our own small experience of life, it’s like discovering a new color of the rainbow; another piece of God’s infinite creativity on display. Unfortunately travel can be a really expensive hobby so we can’t do it often, but when we do, it’s life-changing every time.

One interesting thing we have noticed makes me stop and consider the question, “What do you do?” In my experience here in the U.S., this is the question we all ask when we meet someone. Typically after the initial pleasantries, and within the first 60 seconds of actual conversation, we ask the question, “So, what do you do?” Perhaps this is more commonly asked among men than it is with women due to some historical perspectives on the “appropriate” roles for women in society, in the home, or in the church, which is a whole other issue that deserves some consideration. Be that as it may, the question doesn’t seem to carry the same weight of importance in other parts of the world, which causes me to wonder if perhaps we’ve ascribed it too much importance in defining our identity.

What if we rethink the questions we ask each other? If we refocus our priorities a bit and, like some other cultures, we could see more of the person than the position they hold. I’m challenging myself in this because I don’t consider myself to be a great conversationalist. I quickly run out of things to talk about beyond sports, weather, and “what do you do?” However, I want to learn to connect more and invest in getting to know the person as an individual and not just tell them how the weather is. Rearranging our own priorities will also reshape the questions we ask. “What do you do?” becomes “What do you…. love to do for fun?”, “What do you… hope to share with the world?”, or “What do you…. want to learn?” There are probably hundreds of things we could ask each other if we really want to know one another. It requires a bit of an investment and a little effort, but I think it’s a good step forward in creating the type of community and belonging that we’re all searching for. So tell me, what are you learning or dreaming about?