Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by Haruiko 1861 days ago
I'm not following your argument.

You share the same space. How distant are you with other people that you can't just say hi? Does it matter if you don't discuss politics after it?

When i was a kid, i had to take the bus and i forgot my bus ticket (a pupil, on one bus stop, everyday, the same bus stop the same bus driver on a school route...) and he put a lot of energy into telling me off.

A few days/weeks later i thought about it and i also thought about why i'm not greeting my bus driver when i enter. I started to say hi. I liked it. I liked saying hi to my bus driver.

I forgot my bus ticket again. No issues no worries. there was mutual respect and that mutual respect came to acknowleding him.

I like greeting my neigbhours as well. Somehow it makes a small connection between us.

and yes i read the part with the shield: The first step is a hi. Every other step is easier not harder. Finding out their names, a little bit of talking about family and friends etc.

If i would have worked close enough to Bill Gates i probably would have talked to him sooner or later. Why not? He is a human, not like Mark Zuckerburg.

2 comments

The janitor knows that if he pisses you off in any way, you might complain and he would lose his job, which he probably can't afford to. Why risk it?
People are always quite open to me, never had the issue that they didn't take the risk.
I say hi only and came from a fairly well-off family.

Every additional complaints about my life or happenings in my life that I would have would be unrelatable to the maids and the drivers at our house and it might make them feel uncomfortable.

And have you thought about finding out who your maids and drivers are? Talking to them about their lives?

No interest in learning who they are? What they like? When they have birthday?

If you have a bad day, for whatever reason, you think they couldn't relate to having a bad day?

I know who they are, of course. And birthday and their sons and daughters birthdays. That's how we give gifts. We know who they are and where they are as well - we wouldn't hire them without knowing that.

They couldn't relate - my bad day would be related to losing a few points on a foreign exam or if my favorite restaurant was overbooked.

I can't relate to your examples as well :D
Okay. So that's the reason I didn't want to burden more of the people that work at our homes.

They shouldn't have to share our burden in addition to the work they are doing and potentially feel bad.