The Etiquette of Acknowledgement

Since moving to Hanover three years ago I noticed something. Strangers suck. Yes their are gems, the odd one out that will turn out to be a great friend but the general lack of friendliness I've seen has been astonishing. I walk to school nearly everyday and I pass the same person waiting for her bus stop. Everyday I observe the same odd behavior, she looks off into oblivion, trying, straining to avoid my gaze. This isn't abnormal behavior for the area. I've been seeing this general "social constipation" all across New England. So what does one do if a stranger is approaching them on the street? Panicking and avoiding any possible social confrontation is not the solution. Stay calm and unless on the off chance that they are a pedophile you can calm down and make eye contact with them or acknowledge their prescience in any way you think is appropriate. This is only the first step in letting yourself go. When two people are willing to remove their social barriers magic can happen, unfortunately this magic is all too rare in New England. People are so invested in the own lives that they are forgetting something important, the human species! That unique interconnect web only available to us, take advantage of it, say hello.