07/13/2025
A Teller Window, A Stranger, and a Quiet Wish for Peace
Yesterday, while doing some banking, I found myself in a curious moment with a stranger who stood at the bank teller station next to me. Our tellers were both gone to process our transactions.
This nice customer to my right smiled and greeted me warmly as we both waited for our tellers to return. I returned the friendly hello and we both shook hands. Then, unexpectedly, he softly asked,
“What do you think about Putin?”
I paused. His accent hinted he might be from Russia or Ukraine—or somewhere nearby.
With genuine curiosity, I playfully asked,
“Are you Russian, Ukrainian… or a citizen of the world?”
He smiled and replied, “Russian.”
It would have been easy to react with strong opinions. But instead, I placed my hand over my heart and replied with an ache in my heart.
“It is my wish that war ends through diplomacy, so that everyone can live in peace. It’s gone on too long. Aren’t Ukrainians and Russians like cousins, or brothers and sisters? Killing each other makes no sense.”
He began to explain his point of view, softly—offering his version of how it all began. I couldn’t quite hear it all, but that was okay.
Because at that moment, both our tellers returned. And as we completed our business, we turned to each other, exchanged a smile, and said our goodbyes.
“It's a beautiful outside, Enjoy your day,” I said. It was Saturday. He smiled, and wished me well in return.
And just like that, two people with vastly different backgrounds, possibly even opposing views, parted with kindness. No debate. Just a brief conversation between two strangers who both have the same contemplation, "Can we finally see peace?"
What is the point of war over a piece of land, if the very act of conquest leaves that land lifeless—scorched, broken, emptied of people, nature, and beauty? If the land was once desired for what it held… why destroy it in order to possess it?
The ‘prize’ becomes ash. No one wins.
We can do better. Humanity can rise.
We can choose peace.
Even in the small, quiet moments…
We already are.
💬 What would shift in the world if we all responded to conflict with a little more empathy and curiosity and no need to be right?
