I come across quite a few people online, and offline. Most of them, I find interesting. Some of them I’d like to meet in person, sitting across me sharing their stories. Handful of them, in real life, I do am able to meet. All of them, to some degree are wary of strangers online. All of them beautiful people, with life stories to share.
It doesn’t always pan out, the meeting bit. It’s because of past experiences or rather the fear of past experiences, and disappointments poured into a single cauldron. The stench of this brew would drive anyone away. The lesson learned by them is to stay away. Everything the other party would say or do would be considered as a red flag. At the least that’s what I’ve personally experience; over, and over.
Jessica Guzik put’s it quite right:
A general fear of strangers has mutated into a suspicion of interaction. If the fear slows our social growth, the suspicion absolutely paralyzes us. - Jessica Guzik
On the other hand, I am only looking for a meet, and greet that would top the last one I’d have had with yet another stranger turned acquaintance, maybe turned friend. I am looking to reach out, and get to know you. Not to help anyone, to “be there” for anyone or to understand you. Just bump into you for a nonjudgemental cup of coffee maybe or a brunch or a dinner or a drink. Irrespective of who you are.
I am just humanly happy to meet new people. Him or her, whom I find interesting. More for a human-story-and-smiles-exchange system than for anything else. And also, meet for the sake of my own curiosity, and loneliness. Meeting you is not a high as such. Just a hello of sorts to all sorts of possibilities, that exist without the anchor of expectations. And as the below screenshot from Simple Squib’s story puts it, I’d like to meet as many versions of me as possible.
Click to enlarge. The Egg by Simple Squib.
About a couple of weeks back, I happened to stumble upon an awesome writeup by Jessica Guzik of CuratedTable, titled “We are too alone”. The article is her story on how she went ahead, and curated a dinner table for 6 strangers. All of whom she actively searched for online. I did really get inspired by her, and the idea of a CuratedTable leading me to do something in a similar fashion, on this side of the sphere.
I decided to probably try my own version of CuratedTable. Instead of having 6 strangers sit across each other, I decided to rather have one person, sitting across the table from me. And, do this at the least, once a month if not more. He or she can be anyone, from anywhere, irrespective of his or her status quo. Why not six? Because, one to one somehow appeals to me more. It’s more comfortable for me too; somehow, more intimate.
I’ve already had one such sit-down, with a total stranger turned friend. More about that story, and experience soon. For now, if you’d like to sit across the table from me, then you can always reach out to me via twitter, or just get in touch via email.
