One day, a good six weeks into last semester, I was standing in the elevator in Shilling waiting to go up to the fourth floor, riding along with one other person. An awkward silence captivated the small space, and I, wanting the end the deafening silence, started some small talk with the other person in the elevator.

“How are you?” I said.

Instead of an answer, the other inhabitant in the elevator simply glanced quickly at me and did not respond to the question.

We go through numerous mildly awkward encounters during the day. Either standing in close quarters at a desk or in an elevator, or we accidently move in the direction of someone who is trying to walk in the opposite direction of us, we are constantly getting ourselves into awkward situations. Why is it so difficult to talk to other people?

Most of the time, talking to someone who we will truthfully encounter only in specific instances or at only one time, we remain silent to those people, which is extremely unhealthy in the long run.

Making small talk with others is extremely important. We’re always going to be in these situations where we have to talk to others who we, most of the time, do not want to talk to. Is it really the best choices to leave situations in silence?

Small talk gives us the chance to show others that we are generally interested in each other. It gives us a chance to relate, like how we are all feeling done with this semester. It give us the chance to complain to others about feelings that we might possibly be harboring ourselves, like how we just don’t care about whatever ridiculously tedious general education class we are required to take. Finally, it just gives us the opportunity to show others that we generally care about them.

Nothing is better than when some completely random person out of the blue asks you how your day is going. Better yet, it is better when, in the off chance that you actually tell them how you day is going, if they give some sort of feedback that is motivational. It shows that some people in this world still have an interest in others. Most of us possess this interest; some people just don’t know how to show it.

Next time you stumble into some awkward quiet situation, try speaking up.