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Seriously, what happened to kindness and subtle connection? Being on a college campus has made me realize how mean some people are to complete strangers. Ex: Me and this random girl almost bumped into each other going through the same door and I smiled and said “excuse me so sorry!” And giggled a little, and in response she gave me a dirty look and walked off. What happened to those awkward little encounters you have with strangers throughout the day? It seems we’ve been plagued with a wave of unpleasantness when it comes to these things.
Feb 7, 2025
Related Recs
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TLDR: there are friends everywhere for those with eyes to see
I think one consequence of urbanism is a sense of alienation or otherness from one’s neighbors, and especially from strangers. the average person you pass on the street is assumed to have little in common with you with which to establish a mutual connection. maybe this is a consequence of me living in the south, but i’ve been finding that most people are happy to start a light conversation in public.
ive been making a practice of being in public spaces with a posture of openness to interaction. no earbuds in, making light convo with people like service workers that goes beyond the transaction, striking up convos with people who are sharing a space i’m in, etc. most recently I stopped on a park bench at a skatepark during a bike ride and struck up a convo with a skater who beefed a trick and was describing in great detail how it happened and his history with skating. shout out cole I hope your collar bone isn’t broken.
these aren’t the same as a deep, intentional community that one has with close friends/peers (that comes from seeking out, plugging in, and showing up consistently), but seeing everyone around you as a possibility for human connection until proven otherwise makes one feel less lonely. there’s an intentionality in having a posture of openness to connection that can become a self fulfilling prophecy. it’s easy nowadays to feel like we live in social archipelagos, with our own clusters of friends and loved ones with little connecting each group to each other and little connection to others everywhere around us. but your average person is just as interesting and worth getting to know as anyone else. be curious, be cordial, and start integrating casual momentary connections into your life to tide you over between the deeper relationships in your life you might not have access to all the time
May 4, 2025
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Guys, let’s be a community again please. I hate that so many people are scared of judgment. I go to a commuter school and so many people would rather run away from each other and be alone and cry themselves and smoke to cope than just start a conversation with the next person. It really gets to a point bruh where you gotta ask yourself how long are you gonna be a bitch for. How long are you gonna deny yourself the life you want because you’re scared. Guys, let’s normalize saying hi. No more bending your neck into your phone when you see someone you know.
May 11, 2025
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It’s nice to remember that the world is brimming with kind people. I by no means have lengthy conversations with them, but even a joke or an observation to the store attendant makes me feel like I am the sort of person who is casual about things. It’s fun and reminds me to get outside my (sometimes claustrophobic) bubble.
Jan 15, 2025
Top Recs from @sh3lbz
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I hateeee when I’m on letterboxd and look at reviews and see someone say something like “this is so unrealistic” “this would never happen” “when [insert] happened I immediately was taken out of it”…. It’s a movieeeeee!!!! Sit down to enjoy the media, not to critique every little thing that seems slightly wrong about it… obviously there are exceptions but LOL do u know what I mean
Feb 4, 2025
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We don’t talk anymore but still you manage, without fail, to visit me in the dreamworld. But that’s okay with me.
Feb 7, 2025