I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend, I know that I
did. I ate plenty of good food that I’ll be trying to work off this week, and I
was finally able to introduce Emma to the awesomeness that is the Indiana Jones
trilogy (yes, I know there are four movies, but just like The Godfather Part 3
and Rocky 5, good taste precludes me from recognizing the existence of Kingdom
of George Lucas’ Hubris-Filled Cash Grab).
So with that update out of the way, I figured that I would
share with you something I observed. Those of you that are able to get out into
the world may have noticed that often you will exchange greetings with a
stranger that proceed something like this—one person will say, “How are you
doing?” and instead of answering the person’s question the response will be
something “Hi” or “Hey, how are you doing?” I know that I’ve been on both ends
of this type of interaction. I imagine that most people aren’t really
interested in the current status of a stranger’s well-being, and they are just using
“How are you doing?” as a standard greeting.
Well, maybe it’s just because I only know three people within a hundred square miles of where I’m sitting, and I’m a little bit starved for actual human contact, but I’ve made a concerted effort for the last few weeks to actually answer back whenever somebody poses this question to me. Nothing too involved, just a simple “pretty good”, “not too bad”, or if it’s been a long day, “I’m hanging in there”. I’ve noticed that some people seem to be taken aback by actually receiving a response, but most people seem to respond positively to actually being acknowledged, rather than brushed off. Like I said, I only actually know a handful of people here, so the people I’m directing this to tend to be the guy behind the cash register at the gas station, the attendants at the gym, or the woman behind the counter at the library. Maybe they’re not used to people treating them like actual human beings, instead of something that people are forced to interact with in order to complete some task. I’m not trying to imply that I’m doing them some favor, or anything; actually, I think I’m getting way more out of the exchanges than they are. However, I do think it would improve the world, even if just slightly, if people started treating service sector workers a little bit better.
I believe you are correct, the world would be improved if people started treating service sector workers better. I have to admit I do not respond back at times with "Hi, How are you". Usually this happens at an establishment I don't visit often. I tend to shop and eat at the same places around where I live. I believe in establishing a relationship with the employees at places I frequent more often. I will take the time to answer there questions with statements. I will learn their name and retain the information they tell me so our next encounter can be more personable. I find myself looking forward to going into an establishment where they know me and I hope they enjoy that I remember their name. After reading your article I will definitely make more of an effort responding in places I don't frequent often.
ReplyDeleteI also try to frequent the same establishments whenever possible. I honestly miss the guys at the gas station where I would fill up, back in Michigan. I guess it's true that people don't notice things until they're gone. Thank goodness for the folks at the gym. Just shooting the breeze with them about workouts and how the day is going, has helped alleviate some of the isolation from being in a new place.
ReplyDelete