Is it just me, or do you agree that something valuable has been lost now that a huge portion of human communication is so impersonal? Are we forgetting how to relate to one another the old-school way: face to face and person to person?
The other day a man stepped into the elevator beside me. Even though I was the other passenger in the space, I moved slightly to make room. Then I said, "How you doing today?" I think it was this simple gesture that made what turned out to be a huge difference.
Rather than just silently facing the door, the man leaned against the side of the elevator, looked at me, and answered. We started a conversation. We continued talking after we reach the first floor and walked outside the building. The dialogue progressed to jobs and then family. He revealed that recently he had lost a son in a car accident. Another son was a passenger in the car and had survived.
My new friend was grappling with the overwhelming, crushing pain of losing a child while at the same time attempting to remain strong and stoic for the rest of his family. It's something I would have never known had I not opened the door to conversation. Read more
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