Over the course of my life, I have casually greeted many strangers I passed walking down the sidewalk or in the hallway. The reactions I have gotten are split down the middle; about half of the people reply with a “hey” or “hello” while the other half usually walks by without acknowledging my presence. Why?If someone I do not know passes me and says “hello,” my natural reaction is to answer by saying, “how are you doing,” or, “hi,” or anything besides simply ignoring them. I do not necessarily stop and chat with them, but at least I return the gesture. Whenever someone does not say anything back to me, I feel, well, stupid.
It is like the unresponsive person thinks, “who is this person and why does he think he has the right to talk to me?” Is it too much to want to be treated like I am human? We are all part of the same species here and that should constitute reason enough to engage in the exchange of a mere impersonal greeting. There is no reason for anyone not to acknowledge another’s presence.
I do consider the possibilities that the person simply does not hear me and that some people are deaf or extremely hard of hearing, but what about the times when direct eye contact is made? The person sees my mouth moving and most likely can hear my words and yet they still do not respond. It is these people I am referring to. They know I am trying to say “hi.” They hear me say it, but they still do not care.
What gives?
These instances cause me to feel anxious and inferior, the same two emotions I am trying to break by saying “hi” in the first place. It has come to the point now that whenever I am about to pass a stranger, the same thoughts run through my head. “Should I say anything to this person? Will they respond if I do say something? Maybe I should just smile at them if they look at me.” Sometimes I just avoid the situation all together and stare at the ground or casually look off to the side. This way I do not have to say anything and the other person will see that I am not paying much attention to anything and pass by.
Enough tension plagues our society already. A simple “hey” or head nod would help to ease some of that tension. When people purposely disregard the thoughtfulness of others, they only add to the already prominent hostility in the world.
If everyone would take a second out of their day to say “hi” to strangers, then maybe people would open themselves up more in other ways. Strangers would not hold the same status, but would acquire a new role in society as potential friends. Instead of the cold, mechanical world we live in now, maybe we could live in a more harmonious state where we could feel comfortable with all of those around us – a place where the commonly accepted definition of “strangers” will not exist.
Break down intimidating barriers. Say “hey” to a stranger.