How To Be Swedish

The Swedes are not real big on greeting, saying hello to,  or even acknowledging the existence of anybody they do not know anywhere in public. Walking past someone always feels awkward because you just get this feeling that briefly coming into the presence of someone they are not familiar with is a terribly uncomfortable experience for them that they cannot wait to have over. The standard routine when passing someone in public is to nervously put your head down and just plow forward until you pass them. I don’t know why you can’t make eye contact, smile, nod or even actually say hello to someone you don’t know, but it never happens. Isn’t it more awkward to not greet the other person and walk past in silence than it is to say hi? I don’t mean that you need to greet every person you pass as you walk down a busy street, but when you are the only two people in the vicinity it feels kind of weird to just ignore each other. I often go for walks in a nearby park along trails through the woods. I’ll pass other walkers and we’re the only people around but they’ll still bury their heads and pretend like they don’t see me. Sometimes I’ll say hello and they get this shocked look on their face and you can almost hear them thinking “Who the hell was that guy and why would he say hello to me?” Because we are two human beings that crossed paths in the woods so to me it seems only fitting to acknowledge your presence. Isn’t that just a normal and nice thing to do? I don’t know, it just seems strange to nervously ignore everyone you pass. I don’t know what the psychological or sociological explanation is for the Swedish cold shoulder syndrome but it’s a downer and from now I’m saying hi to people I walk past, even if it scares them.