IMG_20140617_125449Have you  crossed paths with someone and instantly you think you connect? But then the next day you see this person he/she completely ignores you as though you have never met before. I don’t know if it’s just me or if it’s my generation, but I noticed that some people have simply neglected courtesy. And worse still, even when you make an effort to be courteous, it is so difficult for some people to respond.

A few months ago, I was assigned to a student for a project. For the purpose of this post, I’ll name her “Marie.” Believe me we connected so well that I already started making future plans about having her as my teammate for another project. After we completed the project, we had lunch that day and things went very well ( or so I thought). The following day, I saw “Marie” and feeling so excited I approached her smiling. But she completely ignored me!!! I stopped dead in my tracks and I immediately returned to my seat.

 If you are just like me and get frustrated about when people act like “Marie” part 2 of this post will help you reduce some of the frustration you feel when familiar people ignore you.

Before I share my tips on how to deal with this slight frustration , I figured it is important to understand why people act like “Marie.”

Technology: I believe technology has to take some of the blame.  There is no doubt that technology is “one of the best things since sliced bread.” However it has also reduced human interaction to a level that one could not have imagined 100 years ago. Again I don’t know if this is just how my generation has chosen to live, but these days most people would rather message you on Facebook or Twitter rather than speak with you in person.

Imagine this scenario: You just saw someone in class or work or *insert wherever* and they ignore you but then you get home and there is a message on Facebook or a tweet waiting for you from that same person. Weird isn’t it? Why didn’t you just tell me what you had to say when you saw me earlier?

Ego: This one is one major issue. As a human being you should have self-respect, because if you don’t respect yourself, no one else will. However, some people mistake self-respect with arrogance and they allow their ego suppress their courtesy. I am not exactly sure where people got the idea that not saying hello to someone makes you a better person. Let me quickly add that if you are reading this post and you are one of them, please stop that behavior.

Go out today and learn to say hello to others. It’s free and simple. Remember to check out for part 2 of this article.

As always, thanks for reading and remember to share it with your friends. You make my day.

Love,

Ewon