Coffee and Cross Cultured Conversations

Every so often, we have encounters with people who contradict the internal conversations of societal doubt that haunt our hearts on solemn occasions. How strange it is indeed, that only when we are deep in darkness, are we able to appreciate the light.

With the world being the most unified and divided it’s been in centuries, it becomes easy to go about our days wondering when and if people will ever be able to connect with each other on the basis of humanity alone instead of whatever political controversy is of the latest trend.

I was humbled over coffee this morning.

Have you ever had a conversation in which you are left feeling both ignorant in ways you didn’t recognize that you were and more informed than when the conversation began at the same time?

Duality at its finest.

It’s been a theme of mine as of late; the exploration of duality and the importance of finding a balance between two or more existences in order to live peacefully and authentically.

Struggles between religious and ethnic identity and neo-progressive beliefs are struggles that I know are not just my own. It can be greatly comforting to meet people who may not be born of the same origin of yourself but who can relate to the complexity that is being raised in one culture or more, and feeling connected or immersed in another altogether.

Today, a Jewish Catholic American taught me about the geologic significance of my ancestors. He spoke of riches, oil, and metals deep within the ground my family once called their home. Riches I had never known, seen, or felt with my own hands, and yet somehow I was left with a sense of pride in my newfound knowledge; gifted to me by a stranger who had no reason to know the things that he did other than his sincere love for growth and understanding.

Did you know that anything is possible?

You’ve heard it before, I know - and maybe you’re tired of being told but if a boy from Las Vegas can go on to speak Mandarin and eat Lamb Noodles with strangers over Chinese beer, then maybe it’s true.

I had the pleasure of sipping coffee with a self-taught engineer who designs technology for companies that you and I read about in magazines - and he taught me about the significance of my ancestral lands.

It can be isolating, being an Uyghur, Afghani, Pakistani American; raised in East Africa, with only surface-level experiences of the history that runs through my veins.

Being an entrepreneur, and a good one at that; is a lonely life indeed, even without the combination of cultural conflicts considered.

So I will leave you with a thought that was left with me over a cup of coffee.

That “in order to be successful in business one must build a sense of community. It is imperative to work with people whom you care for and don’t wish to disappoint so that you will work your hardest never to do so.” (C.J Christensen)

To be successful in business, you must learn about practices that you were never exposed to, respect them, and adapt them as your own.

Because regardless of where you are from you are always surrounded by people who were raised differently, and we cannot operate easily - flowing between unknown spaces unless we learn to look at each other with an understanding of the commonality we share in our humanness.