I really need to start forcing myself to make eye contact with people more.
Obviously, when I’m talking with someone, I make eye contact (I’m not socially inept. As a matter of fact, I’m better than most at maintaining eye contact during conversations—you wouldn’t even realize how much mental agony and discomfort conversing causes me unless I were to tell you, and even then you still wouldn’t believe me because I camouflage it so well with humor. So yeah, I’m pretty good). When I’m walking anywhere at all, on the other hand, I make no eye contact with the people around me.
Look, if I’m walking through the woods or on a trail and there’s one other person/small group walking in the opposite direction about to pass by, of course I make eye contact and give a little nod and smile.
When I’m walking through the city, however, I completely ignore every living soul I pass. No eye contact. I act like I’m the only one on the street.
Should I be making eye contact with people as I pass them by? Is that courtesy?
I just feel like 75% of the time I talk with a stranger on the city street, they’re trying to get me to throw them a few bucks to start a music studio, basketball team, or some other likely fraudulent venture, and it always ends with them yelling at me, “I know you have a few dollars on you, big guy; hand it over!” and me calmly telling them as I take off my glasses, “I don’t have any money on me, and if you lay a finger on me, you’re going to wake up in an ambulance in about 12 minutes.” Unbeknownst to them, this is a very empty threat—I’m not Jack Bauer. Realistically, if they were to lay a finger on me, I’d probably just recoil from the discomfort of being touched by a stranger and ask them to please stop. They don’t know that, though, so they heed my word as though it’s truth, which it’s not.
I don’t know.
If someone were to fall or need the assistance of a kind stranger in any way, I’d be the first to help out. When everything’s going according to plan, though, I act like nothing exists except my destination. I put up imaginary blinders in my head to block out my surroundings entirely.
Should I make eye contact with more strangers on the street? Is that a better way to live life? Am I doing this wrong?
I’m not even joking. Seriously—am I living life the wrong way by doing this? Anyone have any suggestions?
Until next time,
Michael J. Erickson, CEO & Co-Founder
