Cosmopolitanism in Real Life

From the chapter "Imaginary Strangers" page 99:

The problem of cross-cultural communication can seem immensely difficult in theory, when we are trying to imagine making sense of a stranger in the abstract. But the great lesson of anthropology is that when the stranger is no longer imaginary, but real and present, sharing a human social life, you may like or dislike him, you may agree or disagree; but, if it is what you both want, you can make sense of each other in the end.

I think this passage very well sums up a lot of the the social interaction here at UK. This is because as being a first year student, there are many strangers around me each and every day. Part of my experience here has been getting to know people, some of them become friends, some of them do not. However, when we each take the time to converse, the stranger is no longer imaginary, and becomes concrete and sensible. And just as the passage states, "if it is what you both want, you make sense of each other in the end." So as each of us enters this new phase of our lives together, we should all be open to meeting new people and getting a chance to connect with them to share ideas and philosophies.