I’m asking because it’s a very normal thing to do here.
When you enter a room, but also things like a hairdresser or say a small cafe, you say hello to the people there and say goodbye when leaving. Or when taking a bus, you say hello to the driver and goodbye or thank him when getting off.
I was only recently told by some online friends of mine that this is pretty weird in other places. So I’m wondering if I’m (or my country) is the weird one or them
I try not to take it personally, because I have NO idea what’s happening in that person’s life, or what’s happening in their head.
What if some of those people are deaf or mute? What if their parent just died and they’re doing their best to not break down in tears? What if they had the most infuriating day/night of their life, and they are so upset that they can’t be polite? What if they speak a foreign language? What if they have in-ear headphones that are tough to see?
There are many situations where I would feel silly for expecting a response, and realistically, many of them would be invisible to strangers.
For example, you’re probably not going to tell someone who wished you good morning that you can’t talk because you just found out your baby is going to be stillborn. You’re probably going to try to shut things out while you process the intense emotions.
Please don’t take it so personally, and maybe try to be a bit more empathetic to strangers. Neither you or I likely even have a chance of knowing their reasons.
I don’t know about you, but I would honestly feel like a terrible person for getting annoyed at someone for not talking in the example above. One you say something, it’s too late to undo it.
Please please please remember that a LOT of people likely have things going on that you’re unaware of.