“These people we don’t know, strangers, are more than we give them credit for. They become teachers, friends, lovers. They can serve a minute purpose, something as simple as unintentionally escorting us through an art exhibit. They can provide catharsis, a place to unload our secrets and fears. They can keep us company on a flight or for the rest of our lives. For better or worse, strangers are equally as important as the people we already count as acquaintances.

Strangers are blank slates. They’re an opportunity. They are bursting with foreign lives replete with memories and knowledge and context that we are unaware of. A stranger isn’t just a novel we’ve never read; it’s one that might as well have never been written until the day we discover it. It is spectacular to think about – yesterday we didn’t know the other one existed, and today we’re standing beside one another and wordlessly sharing an experience.”

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