Courtesy.
It's a simple damn thing, right? I am continually finding that people are becoming increasingly less courteous. Could be just me, but I don't quite think so... I believe it's the lack of physical interpersonal communication that is causing this lack of courtesy that I am seeing. We communicate in such an electronic way now, with texting, twitter, and Facebook that we've forgotten the power of "thank you" and of a simple smile.
Ok, let me give you a bit of background. I don't get out much on campus, but when I do it's always an interesting experience. As I was walking through the campus center, no one made eye contact with me whatsoever. People's heads were down, headphones were in, or they were texting and walking. I always try to smile at strangers. This is something that always yields interesting results. Probably two out of three people smile back, which makes me happy. Anyway, I get to the library, and I hold the door open for some girl in tights and Uggs, and she didn't say anything. She didn't even seem to notice that I was there, allowing her to pass through the door without any effort on her part. Now, does that seem like the right thing to do? Nope.
Overall, people need to unplug. Let's get outside. There's a HUGE pile of leaves on the corner near my house, let's go and jump in there! Let's go watch the sunset before it gets too cold to walk out there. Let's grab a soccer ball and kick around in the park.
Talk to a stranger and try to make their day... Smile at someone new. Make a loud joke and see who laughs. Just, put yourself out there!
We are all passengers on this, our spaceship Earth. Let's make it an enjoyable ride, because we only get one shot.
Much <3 to all.
Stumbled in here from Facebook cuz it's always interesting to see the blogs of FB connections. And this is a very good one. Nice music too. But I digress ...
ReplyDeleteThis topic is a big pet peeve of mine. College is a time for socialization and making connections and new friends yet so many students, as soon as they step outside a building, immediately hop on their cellphones, start texting or ensconce themselves in headphones. Maybe I'm old, but I remember so many great conversations and friendships made walking from class to class or class to dorm. Many students don't even give this a chance any more.
Yet Oswego (believe it or not) is better than many places. When I was in Vegas for a conference, some friends and I went jogging early one morning (surreal itself). Say hi or nod at a passing jogger in Oswego, they almost always return the salutation. Vegas? They didn't acknowledge at all. I pointed this out to my jogging partners, from colleges in big cities, and they acted shocked that Oswego joggers would exchange hellos. Really? Wow.
Thanks Tim! I just found this comment for some reason... Gotta change my settings apparently. One thing I noticed about SUNY Oswego classes, is that no one talks to each other while you're in them. Especially the general education required classes. In my major classes, teamwork is essential, so I had a lot of friends in those, but the big lecture classes, it was almost a cold atmosphere. I met most of my friends in clubs outside of class. Kind of sad.
ReplyDeleteP.S. you jog? Woah.