Encounters

Oh who am I kidding? I wrote a post previously on the importance of mobility. But going further than that, it is the social encounters that make up the foundation of human experience living under this same canopy we call earth and sharing this home alongside others. To the first moment babies acquaint themselves with the world, having the first touch, hearing the sounds of a laughter, whimper, sigh, silent smile, and modelling on the external world to distinguish safety from danger, right from wrong, norms from exceptions. It is the everyday social experiences of walking out on the streets and seeing people doing their own thing - the mother reprimanding the child, the young man awkwardly fishing his pockets at the entrance of the bus, a fragile old woman taking her time to walk up the stairs, the sound of aggressive haggling at the market. And then there are those two close friends insisting they each want to pay the bill for the other, a group of boisterous teenagers disrupting your peace by making a ruckus at the park, overhearing the most interesting conversation in passing, the quiet but hopeful plead to spare some change by the homeless. 

 Sometimes, it is the coincidental (or is it fated) encounter of chancing into an old friend or relative and having either the most awkward or the most cherished small talk of your life. Sometimes, it is through these encounters we may draw inspiration from, or make us more empathetic towards others, or even compel us for a moment, to step back from living in our own world (or heads) and look outside and notice the buzz. These organic encounters can sometimes function as our mirror to teach some lessons or for us take precautions, or act as the yardstick of social norms or even provide us the entertaining role of the quiet observer. We have never really lived in silos and we need each other. 

 These encounters - from the ones being observed from a distance to the ones which impact us to the very depth of our soul, are extremely vital for the social nature of our being. It is something I miss a lot by being far from the tiny Singapore where I'd bump into random people, but also something I miss even more now that we are in this prolonged lockdown. 

 How can digital encounters ever match up to those?