Every morning in high school I would always say hello to one of my fellow classmates. We were casual acquaintances rather than close friends. One morning I realized that I had ignored him (not on purpose) and made it my mission to make up for my mistake. However, I noticed that whenever I tried to approach him, he’d quickly maneuver to avoid me. I was puzzled by his reaction. I did not realize how important our almost nonexistent relationship was, but apparently it made a difference.
Human interaction is a very curious subject that has baffled even the brightest of philosophers, mathematicians, engineers, and scientists. As much as they would like to try, human interaction cannot be deduced or summed up in a simple equation, theorem, or formula. As we all know or should know, human interaction isn’t always pleasant, and human interaction has certain levels.
One of the simplest but most common types of interaction is the casual greeting between two people that may or may not know each other. The occasional “hello” greeting may hold a lot more power than one may think. In a campus setting like Rensselaer, it gives the campus more of a positive shine. When people greet each other while passing, it presents the campus with a welcoming mood.
Since human interaction cannot be controlled by the many variables that exist in life, there are no limits. The random person that you showed kindness to when on your way to General Psychology could be from a company that is looking for prospective students for an internship or a summer job. Obviously, the chances of that occurring are rather slim. However, slim chances in no way mean that the chances are non-existent.
As random as that may seem, life is full of chance and circumstance, so you never know when opportunity will knock. However, knowing when these opportunities present themselves is a skill that, when mastered, can be very useful. The ability to know what to say to different people in many different situations can be difficult but very practical when acquired. Although it takes a lot of skill and experience to develop such an instinct, slow steps can help you develop the suaveness needed to do so.
Talking to people may seem simple, but speaking to others we don’t know can be a bit more difficult. School is about learning how to learn and how to work with others. The more we learn to communicate more effectively, the easier our interactions in our futures will be. We all may take for granted the role that these small occurrences may play in our lives, but they can make real differences.
Editor’s Note: MECL Joe is The Poly’s newest column. The column is meant to be a snapshot into the everyday life of an RPI student.
