I decided to have lunch today at a coffee house around five minutes away from where I live. Upon arrival, I was greeted by a friendly waitress who, judging from her physical features, was clearly of Asian descent and roughly between 20-24 years old. She asked me where I was from. When I said I was Filipino, she was surprised and said she thought I was Japanese. That was a first. I have been mistaken to be Portuguese, Malaysian, Spanish, Singaporean, Chinese, and Indonesian during my time in London. Somehow, me being thought of as Japanese was fitting given that I have recently pondered on a trip to Tokyo to no end.
London is, without exaggeration, a melting pot of people. The diversity is staggering. A fellow postgraduate student from the Philippines once told me that the thing he would miss the most about being in the UK was how open people generally were to diversity. As with any country, I am pretty sure that GB has its share of folks who are not all too accepting of what they perceive to be "different". In general, however, people around here are used to a multicultural and multiracial mix. Taking the tube everyday should provide ample evidence of how people from different backgrounds exist side by side in London. A Filipino exchange student thumbs through his notes in preparation for an examination. A Swedish girl nervously taps her fingernails together as she prepares for a modelling audition. An African banker stares wearily out a darkened train window, dreading another 8 hour showdown with his worst enemy- spreadsheets which show low annual productivity. Different folks, different strokes. It's quite beautiful when you get right down to it.
As I sipped on my frothy cup of coffee, I tried to rationalize points A and B. People are inherently competitive, yes, but also seem to be inherently peaceful creatures when push comes to shove. I think people really do care about each others' welfare. This is brought into the realm of doubt, however, whenever we hear of cases of modern day racism, and instances involving senseless violence being perpetrated upon the weak for the sake of eliminating the weak. This embodies the age old conflict between faith and cynicism. Why trust when you can be alright on your own? Why help when you probably won't be helped when your time to fall, comes?
One cannot always be expected to be a Good Samaritan, but, whenever we do manage to right by our neighbors, we sleep more soundly at night. Peace, it seems, turns out to be the most valuable of all currencies. Many may deny it, but it's the truth. With togetherness, with acceptance, there is peace. With peace, there comes a chance to truly make the most of ourselves, and bring the world closer to "essence", as is mortally possible.
Deep, eh? It's amazing what a vegetarian platter and a relaxing lunch can do for the reflective process.
I really should avoid skipping meals.
MC
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