Do you say hello to strangers?

We are starved for attention and everyone's lonely. We're searching for companionship and it's probably in all the wrong places. This isn't a technology problem. Bars and pubs have been tricking people into thinking they are solving their problems for hundreds of years. 

I travel often and usually alone. I love watching people interact. You'd be amazed at how many people are at bars alone, hoping the drinks will wash away the trouble. But more than the drinks, people just want to be around other people. Our instincts tell us that in order to survive we've got to stick together. 

Why do we still say "bless you" after someone sneezes? I don't know (or care) about the history but I think a long time ago, people thought your heart stopped when you sneezed or something, so you said "God bless you." I don't think anyone believes that anymore, but we still say it. It's one of the strangest things I can think of. We say something completely random to strangers when their body does something weird. At this point, it's just a social greeting that gives us an excuse to interact in a world that is closed off and you have to worry about offending someone by saying hello.

What frustrates me about the cat call/street harassment thing is that a small percentage of people have ruined something as basic as greeting people on the street. Before you yell at me about the importance of the cat-calling problem, I UNDERSTAND. I would hate to be a woman in the city and not be able to leave the house without being harassed.

BUT, on the other side of it, I love the idea of a world where people greet each other and say nice things. Sometimes a compliment from a stranger can go a long way in turning around an entire day (or life, really). 

TINDER. 

We refuse to talk to each other in person, but we obsessively swipe our phones hoping for strangers to accept us.

I have over 1,000 tinder matches. ONE THOUSAND strangers said they were lonely enough to want to talk to me. I don't know anywhere NEAR that many people in real life and there's no way anyone could. Most people have a close circle of a couple friends. A handful at most. 

Some say technology is ruining our ability to socialize in real life. I don't know if that's true. I think people said that about the telephone when that was invented too. 

I love technology and how I can connect with people who I otherwise wouldn't. It's here to stay, so it's your choice how to use it. Don't harass people on the street.. or on your phone

But when you see me, say hello. I won't be mad. God bless you.