A High Five

            In my recent blog on my visit to Austria, I did not mention an incident that stuck in my mind and led me to thinking about things.

            One late afternoon I was standing on a corner in Salzburg waiting with fellow tourists for our tour bus. Nearby was a group of young school girls waiting for a local bus. They appeared to be only mildly curious about us, which is understandable in this city flooded with tourists at this time of year..

            I was wearing a tell-tale tourist get-up: shorts, collared shirt, sneakers, and a camera around my neck. But one of the girls noticed something else about me:  my favorite navy blue cap with the big, red "B" on the front. With the joy of recognition in her eyes, she walked up to me and pointed to my hat. "Boston Red Sox," she exclaimed. I nodded and smiled. Then she raised her right hand and slapped me a High Five.

            Citizens of Red Sox Nation are everywhere in this country. I'm used to having people recognize my hat, even in North Carolina. But I was surprised that it enabled me to make a connection with an Austrian school girl.

            This made me think about ways to connect with others, especially those who might not share my love of baseball, jazz, or history. I can think of any number of ways to break the ice with a stranger or with a new neighbor. But at the extreme end of the human spectrum, how would I connect with a jihadist who would kill me if he could? Or a drug dealer who would poison a child for profit? Or a trafficker in human slaves?       

            The inescapable fact is that there are a lot of bad people in this world. Connecting with them might be impossible. On the other hand, one might argue that there is some good in everyone, even in the face of utter depravity, corruption, and inhumanity. If one can choose evil, can't one also choose good?

            "Why can't we all get along?" asked Rodney King. Indeed, why can't the best and the worst of us find something to High-Five each other about, even if it's something as unimportant as a Red Sox cap? It would be a beginning.

            Can a Child show the way?