TOW#509 — Greeting
I’ve been wanting to write something on this subject for a long time, and now I’m finally doing it after a group discussion on the topic the other day. The conversation was about the fact that we’re all so alienated from one another, closed off in our own worlds, everyone taking care of business, their heads held high, that no one even seems to greet their neighbours on the street anymore.
Everyone that was there remembered a time when neighbours didn’t even bother to knock on your door — they just walked right into your home. The mums had a special time of day when they’d meet up and have a coffee and chat. Even Ajvar isn’t made like it used to be. When people got together to collectively make various preserves for winter for all the families, they would spend whole days and nights together!
OK, maybe I’m asking too much when talking about neighbourly get-togethers, socialisation, and mutual help. However, what’s worse at the moment is that there’s no respect anymore, and we don’t even greet our neighbours when we see them in the street. I’ve also noticed that not only do we not say hello, we even turn our heads (or, as is now modern, we look at our phones). And the scariest thing is that the younger generation have become so wild that they don’t respect anything, not even the elderly. In our day, it was simply so normal to greet all older neighbours, such as the parents and grandparents of your friends.
When I was in America in the 90s (as a high school student), I found it very interesting that not only in the neighbourhood, but anywhere on the street, when you walked towards someone and made eye contact they’d smile and say a quick ‘hello’. You don’t know the person at all, it’s the first time you see them, but it still makes you feel good when they smile and greet you.
I don’t want to get into the psychological aspect of greeting, why it’s hard for us to greet each other and why we’ve become so uncivilised, isolated and self-absorbed. But I do want to use this weekly tip just to remind you and encourage you, no matter how difficult, and regardless of the fact that no one does it anymore, when you meet someone in your neighbourhood, old, young, big, small, woman, man, find the strength and energy just to ‘smile and say hello’. Even if it’s the most misanthropic of your neighbours. Trust me, no matter how strange and impossible it may sound, you’ll still send them beautiful energy, a positive feeling and you’ll make their day nicer.
For you, saying ‘hello/good morning’ doesn’t take much, but it could make someone’s morning/day much better.
Wishing you success with the changes to come,
Petar Lazarov
“Tip of the Week” Team member
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