Music seems to be the international language, which seems to break down barriers between people. Nowadays, that seems to be a major challenge. Many people want to put up barriers. On our San Francisco Food Tours, we try to break down barriers. When we look at barriers around the world, they usually get formed out of fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of change, fear of things that we do not understand. That fear tends to put us in a box, where nothing new can get in.
One the question that confronts us all is how we stay mentally sharp for the rest of one’s life. More and more information confirms that people who stay mentally sharp do a couple things, they do some kind of problem solving everyday, whether it is gardening, Sudoku, or doing something. They also tend to welcome exposure to new people and new ideas. When they meet someone of a different ethnic background, religion, sexual orientation, they not only accept it, they welcome it. In other words, they not only do they not fear different ideas or cultures, they welcome them. To them, it keeps their mind active and makes them feel alive.
Fear has us operating in survival mode. In other words, we not living, we’re just surviving. And the box that we are in keeps getting smaller. The challenge is that the box is box of our own making. The only things that opens the box up is to welcome new ideas and different ideas.
