Eye Contact
Of all the things that annoy me about people, the lack of eye contact is probably near the top of my list. People around here are particularly bad about it.
For example, today I was returning to work from lunch, and I passed a person coming out of the building as I was going in. Actually, he came out of the building while I was still a good fifteen feet from the door. This guy literally appeared frantic about looking anywhere but at me. He just wanted to get past me and keep from acknowledging my presence at any cost.
My first thought was that I looked funny. Maybe he thought I was a serial killer. Was my fly down?
No. I’ve decided that it actually induces anxiety in many people these days when they’re faced with the prospect of looking at another individual in the eye and acknowledging them in some way.
It happens all the time at work. I see people pass each other in the halls and completely ignore one another. These are not people that are occupied by a CrackBerry, or trying to catch up on notes from a meeting they were in earlier in the day. They’re folks that are going from one place to another, and are simply afraid to look into someone’s eyes and give a simple “hello”.
It’s a sad state when something so basic is lost in society. I’m from a state where you can drive through the countryside, and farmers on tractors in the fields will still give you a friendly wave as you pass them on the highway. They still seem to understand that being a human involves something called “relationships” even if they’re of the most casual kind.
I have gone to great lengths to teach my kids to look me in the eye when I speak to them. Hopefully it will stick with them. For now, I am making a point to look at everyone I pass throughout the day, and greet them in one way or another, even if they ignore me.