It's ironic that after being raised to fear strangers, I now find them a source of hope. When these interactions go well – and they generally do – the positive perception of the stranger can generalise into better feelings about people. For me – and many of the respected experts and complete strangers I've spoken to – it comes down to a question of data. If I based all my perceptions of humanity on what is available through my phone or laptop, I would have a fantastically negative view of most other people. I would be paralysed by "stranger danger", and I would feel fully justified in avoiding these louts, paranoids, hysterics, criminals, charlatans, rage-cases, and demagogues. Instead, however, I went out into the world, and talked to people. I base my perception of the world in large part on them, and as a result of talking to strangers, my outlook is a little more optimistic.
