Humans are wired for connection. Seeing a baby respond to your attention and love is testimony that humans thrive when they are seen.
How we show care matters. Imagine the difference you can make to someone’s day by saying something as seemingly trivial as “hello, how are you doing?” If that it a lot to say, perhaps try saying a “hello”.
In my neighbourhood in Sydney, we nod (a little tip of the head) to acknowledge a human walking across us on the street. On a good day, we smile at each other too. Ideally, we like to make eye contact, smile, and say hello like we mean it. A small moment between two people becomes something that sets a vibe, a mood, a tempo for the day. When the pandemic made stepping out of the house for exercise an act of bravery, we made sure that we walked at a distance from each other but we tried to do it with tremendous grace, a nod of the head and a smile.
We show our humanity in small moments. Something about the way the world is changing makes sharing our humanity, in as many authentic ways as possible, urgent.