Today, while walking to the studio, I was involved in two separate one-sided greetings. I am baffled by this phenomena, especially considering that we live in a pretty "neighborly" neighborhood. If you've never experienced a one-sided greeting, it goes something like this:
I see that someone is walking toward me on the sidewalk. I time my hello just as they're near enough to see my smile and hear my greeting.
Me: "Good afternoon."
Them: silencelookawaysilencekeepwalkingsilencedon'tmakeeyecontactsilence
Me (to myself) "Huh." some amount of shoulder shrugging/eye rolling/grimacing often accompanies this
I am particularly floored by these encounters because so many folks (myself included) bemoan the passing of common courtesy. Generally speaking, if one is within earshot of someone else whose path one will soon cross, it is considered polite to offer a greeting. Heck, I come from a place where complete strangers driving by will wave at you if you're sitting on your porch! I know that some people are shy, but really...shyness does not excuse you from being polite.
I continue greeting people, even in the face of such blatant ignoring, because I value courtesy. I believe it is a demonstration of self-respect, as well as respect for others, to be polite to one another. I also believe in being the change I wish to see and, therefore, strive to set an example of polite behavior as much as possible.
Has anyone out there experienced this? Does it dismay you or motivate you to continue being polite?
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