7 AM coffee encounter: should you greet the friend who ignores you?
A man runs into his childhood friend having coffee alone at 7 AM. Should he say hello or respect his solitude? The answer is clear.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The 7 AM encounter: say hello or walk on by?
It's seven in the morning. In a café that has barely peine, a middle-aged man sits alone, empty cup in front of him, staring into space. Another man, who recognizes him as a childhood friend he hasn't seen since he was ten, wonders whether he should say hello or just walk past.
The solitude of early-morning coffee
The situation, which might seem trivial, raises a social question: respecting other people's solitude versus the urge to reconnect with the past. Some argue that the friend has probably noticed him and chosen not to say hello, suggesting he prefers to be alone. Others say that the vacant stare is simply that of someone who has just proge up, and the best thing is not to disturb him. Coffee at that hour is almost a ritual: it's drunk in silence, and nobody there is looking for company.
Why do reunions disappoint?
The experience of reconnecting with old classmates is usually disappointing: you find yourself wondering why you ever liked those people. In this case, the wisest course seems to be to walk on by, as the protagonist concludes. The unsettling detail: elsewhere, the friend might be asking himself the same thing. The paradox of the reunion is that both are watching each other, but neither dares to make the first move.
It's seven in the morning. In a café that has barely peine, a middle-aged man sits alone, empty cup in front of him, staring into space. Another man, who recognizes him as a childhood friend he hasn't seen since he was ten, wonders whether he should say hello or just walk past.
The solitude of early-morning coffee
The situation, which might seem trivial, raises a social question: respecting other people's solitude versus the urge to reconnect with the past. Some argue that the friend has probably noticed him and chosen not to say hello, suggesting he prefers to be alone. Others say that the vacant stare is simply that of someone who has just proge up, and the best thing is not to disturb him. Coffee at that hour is almost a ritual: it's drunk in silence, and nobody there is looking for company.
Why do reunions disappoint?
The experience of reconnecting with old classmates is usually disappointing: you find yourself wondering why you ever liked those people. In this case, the wisest course seems to be to walk on by, as the protagonist concludes. The unsettling detail: elsewhere, the friend might be asking himself the same thing. The paradox of the reunion is that both are watching each other, but neither dares to make the first move.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (23 replies).
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