Perfect Stranger Myth

We are all prone to the myth of the perfect stranger.   Long ago Joan Baez sang, “You go running off in search of the perfect stranger…”  The name of the song is “Fountain of Sorrow.”  People fantasize that somewhere there exists this person who will save you from your sorry life.  That there is a love that is so remarkable it will protect you somehow from the indignities of daily life.  REALLY!?!

Through maturation we eventually come to realize that we ourselves are the perfect stranger.  We accept that fact that we are qualified to manage our own lives, are unique in very valuable ways, and, gain a sense of our wonderful lovable self.  Aging allows us to finally give up the futility of waiting to be saved, loved and live forever in harmony.  Thank goodness we mature.

Things which might stop, or at least slow down, this maturation process include abuse, addiction, extreme physical and/or emotional health issues, poverty, “isms”, criminal activity, and a lack of educational access to name just a few.  How do we guard against these things?  By translating our good intentions into behavioral actions! 

Each one of us is responsible for the choices we make.  Choose wisely, avoid the above list of “things” as much as possible, and, maybe, just maybe, you will mature into your own perfect stranger, full of love for self as well as to others.  The power of self-transformation truly is remarkable.

“If you have it, you don’t need to have anything else, and if you don’t have it, it doesn’t much matter what else you have.  — Sir James M. Barrie