I Don't Know You

I don't know you.

We see each other every day. But the stories you share about the vacations you took or the things you did over the weekend is not a summation of your entire life. The easy laughter and ready smile that you have for me doesn't reflect your whole personality. And the fact that you become taciturn every now and then is not evidence of anything. So I won't make any conclusions about you based on the kind of day you’re having. 

I don't know you.

I know about a few of the life choices you have made but that doesn't mean I can predict what you're going to do when confronted with the next decision. The political views, religious beliefs, and cultural influences you reveal does not indicate how you feel about someone or something. So I would not even try to speak on your behalf because the things you say may not be a direct reflection of how you think.  

I don't know you.

We have been running in the same circles since we were children and I know everyone in your family. But that doesn't give me the right to assume who you are or how you are going to turn out from the short-term impressions I have of them.  And though your family's drama is not a secret within our little world, no one knows the entire story but you. 

I don't know you.

We have been "friends" on Facebook for 5 years. I have seen all of the photos you posted: of your family, your dog, your Tesla, your 5-bedroom house in the suburbs, and the trips you have taken around the world. But that doesn't mean I can assume anything about the days you don't write about or the photos you've deleted. Your social media posts are just windows to a more nuanced life.

You don't know me either. So please don’t judge me by my silence, my laughter, the clothes I choose to wear, the food that I eat, or my opinion about certain things.

Maybe someday you will. And that we could be friends. That you could be more than a familiar face in the neighborhood, or someone I see (or pray with) in church on Sundays, or a profile picture on Instagram, or a friend of the family from a long-forgotten childhood; wouldn't that be nice?

There are no strangers here, only friends you haven't met yet. --(A quote commonly attributed to W.B. Yates)