I don’t think they really are, but there’s lots of lonely people out there open to chance encounters. Transit’s one of those rare spaces where diverse groups of humans gather, and chances are attend on a frequent schedule. Most folks on transit would prefer you just leave them alone, but hey, you never know. I’ve met people/had good conversations on busses before.
A thought: if you see one of these regulars again, try giving a nice compliment (with strangers, nice = one that doesn’t involve their body - think a cool book they’re carrying, t-shirt, dangly thing on a backpack, cool shoes, etc.) and a question (open ended if you feel like trying for a conversation, closed is fine if that seems daunting). Sometimes cool shit can follow - worst thing that generally happens (so long as you follow the advice afterwards) is you’re told to fuck off. A lot of the time, it’s something in a middle - the question gets answered, you might say “Awesome! Well I hope you have a great day” with a smile and go sit, and the stranger moves on with (maybe) a little boost. That ain’t nothing - lots of us could use those little boosts. All of of a sudden you might see yourself mentioned in those missed connection posts, lol.
Despite having my own hot-and-cold periods over it, I truly feel we need to talk to strangers in meatspace as a whole more often.
Man, it’s rare, but those moments you can get big talk from strangers in the wild are fucking gold. But it’s unlikely you get there without a little small talk.
I’d love this one in the wild, assuming a participant that doesn’t get stabby when I try to establish religious stories as fiction and allegories from the outset so we can get to the good stuff (the interesting, if flawed, potential religion carries to communicate a shared conception of humanity that can transcend kin, tribal or geographical affiliations. Maybe religion itself doesn’t survive, but there’s some useful stuff you can try and take away from it while discarding sheer bullshit.)
Edit: you know what? I’m stealing this as a one-liner for folks who say “I’m not really into small talk” in response to random chatter (though with more of a ‘lol, j/k, enjoy your day’ approach).
I don’t think they really are, but there’s lots of lonely people out there open to chance encounters. Transit’s one of those rare spaces where diverse groups of humans gather, and chances are attend on a frequent schedule. Most folks on transit would prefer you just leave them alone, but hey, you never know. I’ve met people/had good conversations on busses before.
A thought: if you see one of these regulars again, try giving a nice compliment (with strangers, nice = one that doesn’t involve their body - think a cool book they’re carrying, t-shirt, dangly thing on a backpack, cool shoes, etc.) and a question (open ended if you feel like trying for a conversation, closed is fine if that seems daunting). Sometimes cool shit can follow - worst thing that generally happens (so long as you follow the advice afterwards) is you’re told to fuck off. A lot of the time, it’s something in a middle - the question gets answered, you might say “Awesome! Well I hope you have a great day” with a smile and go sit, and the stranger moves on with (maybe) a little boost. That ain’t nothing - lots of us could use those little boosts. All of of a sudden you might see yourself mentioned in those missed connection posts, lol.
Despite having my own hot-and-cold periods over it, I truly feel we need to talk to strangers in meatspace as a whole more often.
Ugh small talk. I only do big talks. Anyone wanna discuss which religion is the real one? (None of them)
Man, it’s rare, but those moments you can get big talk from strangers in the wild are fucking gold. But it’s unlikely you get there without a little small talk.
I’d love this one in the wild, assuming a participant that doesn’t get stabby when I try to establish religious stories as fiction and allegories from the outset so we can get to the good stuff (the interesting, if flawed, potential religion carries to communicate a shared conception of humanity that can transcend kin, tribal or geographical affiliations. Maybe religion itself doesn’t survive, but there’s some useful stuff you can try and take away from it while discarding sheer bullshit.)
Edit: you know what? I’m stealing this as a one-liner for folks who say “I’m not really into small talk” in response to random chatter (though with more of a ‘lol, j/k, enjoy your day’ approach).