The Observer, April 6, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 23
One Foot Out the Door: Use weekend to discover new perspective
Even the New York Stock Exchange takes a break today for Good Friday. For some, this upcoming weekend is full of eggs and bunnies, while for others it's a day central to their entire belief system. Last year while I was abroad, my Good Friday experience was far from one I am used to – it was mostly in an English pub.
Of all the advice I was given for my time overseas, no one mentioned what I now think is the most important and didactic aspect of life there – making yourself a regular at a local (non-tourist) pub. It has nothing to do with drinking, as most people at the pub I frequented only have a couple drinks while talking up the day's sports and news. It does have everything to do with the people, and on this day it became apparent.
Being a regular at the pub, my drink was ready shortly after entering – I never placed an order. After a few laughs with the pub owner, a friend and I resigned to a seat along the wall across from the TV to catch up on football fixtures. Unlike the unwritten (but strictly enforced by social norms) rule of "no talking to people you don't know" on the public transport system, pubs (this one at least) insisted that you did. After finishing our drinks, a construction worker who had taken a break from the job for a late afternoon meal asked, "Whatcha drinkin' fellas?" He then returned with three pints, and a determination to find out how our three paths put us at the Norfolk Arms at the same time.
This man, Damien, grew up just outside Manchester and lived there his whole life. His success in the construction industry there brought him to London frequently for work. On this particular afternoon, he decided to end the work day early and grab a pint at the pub. Our mutual interest in each other's stories – he had never been to America and I did not know an English person outside London – carried conversation for hours.
The talk of politics was inevitable at some point. Even more inevitable, after hearing a British perspective on United States politics is the talk on religion. As neither my friend nor I were from religious traditions common to the United States, the discourse shifted to a bit of "world comparative religion," if one wants to try labeling it.
Lengthy descriptions that were fueled by probing questions seemed to complicate the topic. A switch in conversation came from Damien, who began by saying, "My religion is this…I grew up in a school that taught it. I learned a lot of rules, and don't remember much now. I still think I am a good person. If you asked me if God exists, I would say 'I don't know.' If I had to say, I would probably say, 'yeah.' But it is about how you treat people, you know? All three of us come from different religious backgrounds, and we all get on well, got each other a drink, and heard each other's stories... that what it is for me, mate."
There was something comfortably simple about that. At the very least it was a new perspective to start thinking about. I hope this weekend allows you to do just that – find a new perspective to think through.
Ibrahim is a senior Medical Anthropology major who has just returned from a year abroad in London.
