Greeting everyone you encounter. It’s a simple joy, but one that’s become sadly ‘outdated’ in today’s world. Unless, of course, you’re Papa Johnny of McGregor, who goes out of his way every day, to greet the whole town and spread as much love as possible:
McGregor, South Africa (14 October 2024) — In the small rural town of McGregor, a man affectionately known as Papa Johnny wheels hope and smiles throughout his community – daily.
Greeting everyone you encounter seems like a tall order for most modern people. But there was a time when this was common practice throughout many of the world’s communities, and still is in small but hopeful places like McGregor.
Papa Johnny is largely to thank for the ‘old tradition’ being kept intact. Day after day, he wakes up, gets to his bike and cycles throughout the town to bring greetings, love and life to the people he meets.
In a recent video shared by Visionary Voices—a skills-sharing and social empowerment initiative that connects experienced filmmakers to talents from disadvantaged backgrounds—we get to go on a ride with Johnny.
It’s a watch that’s hard not to feel warmed by. The smiles he evokes, the shouts of love and a voice that radiates so much energy; Johnny’s task is humble, but such an incredible reminder of how much something so simple can impact other humans.
For Johnny, greeting is a practice he learnt from a young age.
“I come from a good home where my mother and father taught me that greeting people doesn’t cost money.”
He shares that “it doesn’t matter who you are and what you look like, even if you are a poor man or if you are ugly or beautiful. So that we can all unite as one.”
As the narrator of the video puts it perfectly, small gestures do have great power. Especially for people who feel overlooked by society, greeting is the one thing we can all do to simply let others know that they are seen and recognised in the grander scheme of human connection.
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