I had the unexpected pleasure last night of being taken to see and hear a rock band in the back room of a local pub. The sound was phenomenal and, as I stood by the huge stage speakers, I could literally feel the beat and bass rhythm pulsating throughout the whole of my body. What struck me as much as the songs, band and exuberant atmosphere in the crowd was something about the singer’s personal presence.
In the midst of all the dramatic strutting and air guitar playing, he would periodically move to the edge of the stage, lean forward toward the crowd, fix his eyes momentarily on an excited individual and smile with a glint of real warmth and affection. He looked at me in this way on one occasion and I was surprised how uplifted I felt. It was like the power and impact of an unexpected kindness from a stranger.
There is an African greeting which quite literally means, ‘I see you.’ How often do I pause and see the person in the crowd, smile at the stranger, show unprompted kindness, lift the other by simply acknowledging the gift of their being?
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