I’m continuously amazed by how reluctant people can be to make eye contact and acknowledge one another. I work in a corporate environment and therefore spend a fair amount of time in elevators or walking down corridors. I try to be polite and say “hi” or at least give a little head nod. But a lot of people would rather stare at their phones or their shoes than have actual human interaction.
I would like to think that this is a more recent phenomenon with smartphones taking over so much of peoples time but I’ve always felt this way. I can remember thinking about this 20 years ago.
I was reminded of it again last night as I was waiting for a table at a restaurant. AS the waitresses walked back and forth they always gave a smile – which I know in the service industry is just something you should be doing anyway. And then there was a couple who sat down next to us that I had a brief interaction with.
And at that moment I thought how much nicer it is just to be present and connected to the people around you even if it is for a second.
A History of Stupidity 