Highway History Lesson

There’s 8 strangers in a safari jeep. A Tanzanian, a Japanese couple, an American, a German, two Brits, and an Italian. They are traveling down the highway chatting and laughing when the Tanzanian driver [who does not know the nationalities in his vehicle] asks, “so can you explain to me world war 2- I do not understand how it is the whole world ended up in one war?”

Horrified silence.

No one dares to make eye contact.

People shift in their seats.

The Italian finally says, “well, I think we can agree we are glad it’s over.”

 ***

As awkward as it was, it is no small miracle that conversation even happened. Sitting together that day eating stale butter-carrot sandwiches while fending off hungry monkeys suddenly seemed much more important than it had been the day before.