Note to the reader: Here, X and Y represent the very humanly mathematical variables which we refer to as the unknown.
For most of X’s life, X had lived unreflectively. However, on this particular morning, X was grappling with the existential meaning of “Forward! Forward! Men of Christ, Men of Cross.” Creating cumulus clouds of warm winter breath, X carried out these mental gymnastics as X strode into Buntrock.
But suddenly and unfairly on this otherwise delusionary and comfortable Monday morning, Y appears from around the corner of the fireside lurching towards X!
At this point, X’s mind, otherwise occupied with such profound thoughts, is in danger of being yet again thrown out into shallow existence. X can hardly believe that Y should appear so brashly at that precise moment of X’s attainment of such deep understanding, and X holds Y responsible for appearing without an announcement.
Of course, X knows that saying such things out loud would surely sound crazy and incur everyone’s fiercely passive judgement. Hence, X keeps what X knows to be a common sentiment among others to X’s own mind. However, this understanding doesn’t stop X from blaming Y for having appeared so suddenly, like a ghost haunting the hallway of many letters and Friday flowers. With each of Y’s encroaching steps, X begins an arduous process of preparation and execution with only about ten steps till they intersect.
The first two steps, X thinks as to what distance is most optimum for eye contact. At this point, any omniscient observer such as you and I, my reader, are thinking and, if bold enough, asking why X is calculating what intuitively ought to be a simple task. However, you see X has other profound and important thoughts in mind such that this otherwise simple ritual of human interaction has been relegated to the margins of attention and thus become alien.
Back to X. X estimates that about eight steps would be the appropriate moment and gives Y the privilege of a glance.
Next, X searches his mind of important information for the suggested course of action. However, before this could be completed, on the third step towards intersection, X is reminded of a straining, growing collection of unfulfilled promises made to Y about “getting a meal together” or “hanging out sometime” and feels suddenly and very unfairly crushed by the power of the conscience. If only X could find the right platform to protest such systematic injustice done to X, for X was sure beyond a doubt that this was an important social concern that everyone ought to know if they were to exist as civilized and moral people.
Anyhow, X had seriously underestimated how unconsciously destructive such thoughtlessly flung promises were to genuine human interaction if X was ever to bring such an obviously pointless and unimportant thing as human interaction back to a level of importance sometime in the future.
As X finally manages to put aside this uncomfortable guilt for having given such assurances to spend time, even if X had conformed to it for no reason other than that of local social convention, X has the next crucial step to figure out. X searches within X’s mind to say something creative and witty that would absolve X from this unjustified guilt. However, at this point, four steps have passed by without even X’s knowing.
It had all happened very fast and had reached intersection. With no time at all to risk ridicule with a half-formed thought, X utters the only phrase that would let X get by at the baseline of lukewarm standardized existence:
X: “Hey!!!! How are you?”
Y: “Good!!! And you?”
X: “Good!!!”
Y: “Good!!!”
As they pass each other, both release a sigh of relief and wonder why the other had seemed overly and unjustifiably excited to utter this phrase that was heard innumerable times in their daily important lives.
