We have a fear in society not to trust people we don’t know. Interestingly, less than one half of a percentage of all kidnappings in 2002 were committed by strangers. The remaining 99.5% had a prior relationship with the child. Murder and assault victims are also far more likely to know their assailants.*
My faith in trusting the kindness of strangers was greatly restored in the last couple months by two personal examples that I would like to share. The first was earlier this summer when I bought a preassembled grill and couldn’t fit it in my car. Just as I was about to go buy some tools to disassemble it, a family in an SUV pulled up and asked if I lived nearby. They seemed genuine, so I told them I would greatly appreciate their help. The father helped me load my grill into their SUV. He rode back to my house in my car, while the mom and kids followed. After we unloaded, they jokingly asked when they could come by for steaks.
The second example occurred a few weeks later, when I was stuck on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck. Over a 3 hour period, no less than eight people pulled over to ask if I needed help. Some even offered to go get me a cold drink.
Of course there are a few crazies out there, but I believe that the vast majority of strangers means well. And I’m willing to accept their help, and offer mine in return, even if it means risking the extremely small likelihood of crossing paths with the crazies.
*http://www.freakonomics.com/2009/01/06/the-cost-of-fearing-strangers/
My faith in trusting the kindness of strangers was greatly restored in the last couple months by two personal examples that I would like to share. The first was earlier this summer when I bought a preassembled grill and couldn’t fit it in my car. Just as I was about to go buy some tools to disassemble it, a family in an SUV pulled up and asked if I lived nearby. They seemed genuine, so I told them I would greatly appreciate their help. The father helped me load my grill into their SUV. He rode back to my house in my car, while the mom and kids followed. After we unloaded, they jokingly asked when they could come by for steaks.
The second example occurred a few weeks later, when I was stuck on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck. Over a 3 hour period, no less than eight people pulled over to ask if I needed help. Some even offered to go get me a cold drink.
Of course there are a few crazies out there, but I believe that the vast majority of strangers means well. And I’m willing to accept their help, and offer mine in return, even if it means risking the extremely small likelihood of crossing paths with the crazies.
*http://www.freakonomics.com/2009/01/06/the-cost-of-fearing-strangers/