"Hi, how are you?"

"I'm doing..." Wait. Why should I finish? You've already walked away.

It happens all the time. People always ask how I am, yet they never care to hear the answer. If you ask a question about how I'm doing, you should be ready to stick around to hear a response. Because really, the answers "I'm good," "Doing well," and "I'm okay," are so vague and really don't mean a thing. These answers deserve details. They deserve inquiring from others. Why bother asking if you don't care enough to actually know how I am?

If we believe in social niceties, shouldn't they at least be genuine? Rushing by people and thinking we don't have time to listen to others around us is a social flaw that I constantly see. We're all guilty of it, too. If you see a friend or acquaintance, by all means, say hello. Acknowledging someone's existence is important. But if you are going to ask how they are doing, be prepared to hear a response. Long, short, or somewhere in the middle. Unfortunately, most people won't give you more than a short "I'm good" anyway. That's what is expected. When you ask someone how they are, few people go into detail. What's the point then? Why are we aimlessly wasting words asking an artificial "how are you?" and responding with a measly "Good. And you?"

I don't understand why we do this. I guess it's something that comes naturally. We don't think about the implications of our statements or the words programmed into our brains by society. However, I hope we still care enough about words and what is said by those around us to realize that we should work on this. It's up to us to start thinking about the things we say and when we say them. Next time someone says "I'm good. And you?" take it further and ask why they are good or how their day was.

Let's stop the social niceties. There's so much artificiality around us already. Be genuine. If you ask someone a question, don't be half-way across the street by the time they are ready to respond.