talking to strangers

What a wonderful idea!

… preferably in a ball pit.

I have an admitted fear of ball pits, because OMG germs, but I’d make an exception here. Soul Pancake orchestrated a touching project (dare I call it a public art installation?) encouraging grown-ups to harness their inner child, pause their days and reach out to a new friend. The result? A 5-minute break in your day that will restore your faith in humankind.

I find it interesting how, as children, socialization is a shared goal: playgrounds, ball pits, sporting events. Yet the older we get, the more we forget the importance of meeting new people and befriending strangers. Our surroundings almost encourage this – single file lines at the bank, tiny bistro tables for one. And although there’s certainly something to be said for privacy and personal space, I often wonder how much more we’d learn about our society if we’d sit at the yellow bench.

via {design for mankind}