We don't know people

There is a lot of angst to be seen amongst American friends and acquaintances today, who are dismayed at the progress of Donald Drumpf.  One of the things that I notice coming up a lot is this: "who are these people?  Nobody I know is voting for him, so who is?"  I've just been reflecting on the fact that hardly anyone I knew was voting Tory in the UK last time around, and yet here they are, in government.  My Facebook feed was filled at the time with people saying "how can this be right?  We don't know anyone who voted for them!"

My conclusion is this: I don't know many people, and the people I do know are not representative of society at large.

Implication: the perspective I have on things is very narrow.  If I draw conclusions about where society is, or where society is going, based on the circle of my acquaintances, I will probably be wrong.  I need to stop being baffled by the fact that there are lots of people out there who think very differently from me and my 'set'.

Application: I need to try to understand people who are coming from very different positions from mine.  I can't just write them off because they don't match the type of people with whom I regularly rub shoulders.

Obviously the application goes beyond politics.  How can I present the gospel to people I don't know or understand?

Work to do.