HELLO_WORLD
> INITIATING PROTOCOL: ACKNOWLEDGE_EXISTENCE
> LOCATION: M.G. ROAD (Busy Commercial Street)
> ACTION: MAKE_EYE_CONTACT + VERBAL_GREETING ("Hello" or "Good Morning")
> SAMPLE_SIZE: 100 STRANGERS
// THE URBAN SHIELD
In the city, we wear invisible armor. Headphones on. Eyes down. We treat other people like NPCs (Non-Player Characters). Obstacles to walk around. Acknowledging a stranger is seen as a threat ("What do you want?") or a sales pitch ("What are you selling?"). I decided to lower the shield.
// THE DATA
> IGNORED (Headphones/Phone): 45
> CONFUSED/SCARED LOOK: 30
> AWKWARD NOD: 15
> SMILE + "HELLO": 10
// THE ENCOUNTERS
I said "Good Morning." He immediately checked his pockets to see if I had picked his wallet. He thought it was a distraction tactic.
I smiled. She looked terrified and walked faster. Lesson: As a man, uninvited interaction is perceived as harassment. I stopped greeting women alone after this. It felt predatory, not friendly.
I said Hello clearly. He walked right through my voice. Noise Cancellation is the wall we built to block out humanity.
He stopped. His face lit up. "Good morning to you too, son!" He looked shocked. Like nobody had seen him in weeks.
// THE 10% MAGIC
90% of the interactions were painful. But the 10%... The security guard who saluted back. The dog walker who let me pet his Golden Retriever. The tourist who asked for directions. For a split second, the city felt like a Community instead of a Collision.
// THE "VILLAGE" EFFECT
In a village, you greet everyone. It is rude not to. In a city, anonymity is the default. We crave connection, but we fear contact. The experiment proved that the fear is stronger. Most people didn't want a "Hello." They wanted to be left alone. And honestly? By the end, I wanted to be left alone too. It takes energy to be open.
// CONCLUSION
Don't say Hello to everyone. It scares them. But say Hello to the invisibility people. The guards, the cleaners, the cashiers. They are the ones who need the Glitch the most.