You're Different? No Worries!

I had mentioned in my previous post about how I think Aussies are quite accommodating of people
despite their differences. In fact, I bet they are the most accommodating bunch of people in the world! You're different? No worries! (a very common phrase used here) You will fit right in. :) I think in my honest opinion...there's no place on earth you can find such a laid back society. I mean, you can literally belong here from outer space! Just kidding. Still, this accepting culture is really what makes Australia a great nation. I bet that's why there are so many nations converged here.

In my train rides, I have come to actually see for myself this accepting culture played out. For
example, a guy having no shoes on walks into the train...no one even takes notice. It's actually a thing. In my country, you would get all kinds of stares especially because what you have on ankle upwards doesn't equal what you don't have ankle downwards. Actually you would probably be the talk of the town if you actually just decided not to put shoes on.
To many, you would be plain weird.

So confession time...I once sat next to this guy who stunk from here to Timbuktu... Am not being mean or anything, but it was awful. So I moved. Yap...guilty as charged. But what made me actually feel bad about how I reacted was that no one else moved. If they smelt it, they didn't show. In fact, he had a very nice looking face and the lady seated next to him actually smiled and I think that must have made his day because he showed some teeth. Talk about feeling awful... So I resigned to myself that I would try to be like those people and well, hold my breathe next time... :)

Since coming to Perth, I have observed a very wide array of diverse cultures and well, behavior. Stuff
like dyeing hair green, having a gazillion tattoos on and piercings in places I had never imagined could be was very new to me. In fact, doing this here is no more fashionable than it is culture...acceptable culture. So after a while, I came to realise that these things did not make these people who they were. In fact, I am guilty as charged when it comes to judging appearances and I have learnt what was said in the good book..."God does not look at the outward, rather the heart" (just paraphrased scripture here...the verse is 1st Samuel 16:7. So good on you mates for being better judges of character than me!

So dear readers, I will replace my jaw-dropping gazes with an appreciation of the accepting culture of Perth people and try to smile at the next guy who looks like he just dropped out from outer space!
Still kidding :)

G'day to you.