OK, I admit it.

I got a call today from someone. Someone I don't know. Someone who says he is a mutual friend of someone I know. The name he gave isn't really a friend. She is someone I think would be hard pressed to even remember who I am.

At the end of the message he said that he would expect a call back.

I found myself wondering why he was calling. He said nothing of the reason. I found myself wondering if it was a sales call. I found myself wondering if he had a clue about what is going on with me, if he had ever looked at my Facebook page or had ever come here.

I was really in no mood to deal with a sales pitch, especially if it is one that doesn't have anything to do with me. But I had to know. I had to know if he was blindly calling me.

So I called him back.

When I got voicemail, I left him a message. Now we will see what happens if he calls me back. I am really curious to know what his purpose was in calling. For all I know, he knows what is going on with me, and wants to in some way be of some help.

I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt, but at the same time, I have to say I suspect he doesn't have a clue of what is going on with me. I would be more than fine being proven wrong.

Why do I share this?

Because it makes me think. It makes me think about all the times that I have approached someone without really knowing them, or what is going on in their life. It makes me think about how helpful it is to know what is going on with someone to truly make a connection.

I saw something today about how Ecuador may be financially hurt by the US, depending on how it reacts to what is going on with the guy who is seeking asylum there. Someone said something to the effect that they hope that the right decision is made to preserve the economics of the country. It made me wonder if they would really be doing the right thing, and for the right reasons. It sounded more like the money was doing the talking.

How often does money talk?

I think it is likely way too often. And, to make matters worse, it seems to me that the idea of making a connection with someone is used as a mechanism to make that money. So instead of connecting as a means unto itself, it is a means to an end.

I feel very judgmental at the moment. I have taken great pride over the years in saying that I am "non-judgmental," but the fact is, I have come to realize that we all have to have a level of judgment. I think it is the way we gauge ourselves. I also think there is a difference between judging a person and judging their actions. And then there is the question of how we act when we judge another's actions. Do we turn it inward and use it for our own self-growth and understanding, or do we act in a way that affects the other person? (Paula Deen comes to mind).

This is a topic that is as bad as a loaded gun. There are opinions on so many pieces and parts of these situations. On Facebook I have seen so much reaction. I don't intend to stir the controversy. That, it would seem, is not my role. I think my role is more to ask the questions and to look at things in a way that others may not have considered.

But that doesn't mean I don't sometimes get caught up in the net myself. I have to admit that caller stirred me, but not in a good way. It doesn't help that I am in a sucky, overall mood. I have a lot less patience for things when I am in this place. The other day a friend tried to tell me how I should be in relation to what he was saying, in total disregard to what I was saying and where I was, and what I wanted.

I could be wrong, but I suspect no one - regardless of circumstances - likes to be told how another thinks they should be. And yet, how often do we have a world that is the result of just that?  How much of what we have to interact with is based on what another believes should be and the effects on another of not living up to/into that?

Is that the kind of world we want?

When, if, that guy calls back I am going to do my best to be open to the possibilities, and not have an attitude. Maybe there is a reason why he is calling that neither one of us knows, yet. In the meantime, I am noting what I can about the circumstances for my own benefit and actions going forward.

I really hope he proves me wrong.

Post Script:

He just called back, and he proved me right. And I wasn't as open as I had hoped I would be. I actually found myself a bit annoyed. And then he told me those wonderful, "stay positive" and "God has the last word" words.

But I did it to myself. I knew, and I still called him back.

*SIGH*