What We Say, Day to Day

Here at Colgate

I am constantly walking past people I "know"

Meaning, I have had a class with them,

I have been introduced to them,

We shared a moment somehow, sometime, and now I feel like when I walk by them on the sidewalk I should acknowledge their existence more than some of the other people I walk by whos names I don't know or who I haven't been introduced to, or who I have shared no more than a look, and maybe not even that.

So when I walk by these people that I "know",

These people that are some level of an aquaintence,

Somewhere between stranger and friend,

What do I say?

-Hey, how are you?

-Howdy?

-What's up?

-What's going on?

-What have you been up to?

etc.

And they tend to respond:

-I'm good. How about you?

-Hey.

-Hi. I'm fine thanks, how are you?

-Not much, what about you?

And I tend to respond:

-Can't complain, the sun is out.

-Oh, you know, bogged down with work

-Not bad, just going to class

-Good.

There are so many people here that I share so few words with, know so little about, and yet when I see them, I say the most mundane, uninteresting things and they respond in kind.

Why do we say anything at all? Half the time I feel like I am asking "How are you?" because I have nothing else to say and I feel the urge to acknowledge them verbally.

Couldn't we come up with something more interesting? Or couldn't we just come together and decide that we are not going carry on this useless, passing banter unless we think we have something to gain or learn from it?

...Maybe it isn't completely useless. Maybe when we say "Hi, how are you?" what we really mean to say is "Hey! I remember you, we shared some experience some time and I acknowledge that and would like you to acknowledge me. In fact, I would like to do more than just acknowledge each other, I would like to show you that I actually care about who you are and your well being, but sadly, I don't have the time to really dive in and find out right now, so instead I put out this socially normalized set of phrases that convey an interest, but acknowledges the constraints of the bustling modern life and all the other priorities on my plate. Maybe someday we will find some time to both come together and say the things that we haven't said thus far"