Haruiko

I can't relate to your examples as well :D

People are always quite open to me, never had the issue that they didn't take the risk.

And have you thought about finding out who your maids and drivers are? Talking to them about their lives?

No interest in learning who they are? What they like? When they have birthday?

If you have a bad day, for whatever reason, you think they couldn't relate to having a bad day?

I'm doing it, always have. A lot of other colleuges never do it.

I would argue that this has just nothing to do with poor/rich or where you work.

Perhaps its just random how your work environment or your collegues are.

I'm not following your argument.

You share the same space. How distant are you with other people that you can't just say hi? Does it matter if you don't discuss politics after it?

When i was a kid, i had to take the bus and i forgot my bus ticket (a pupil, on one bus stop, everyday, the same bus stop the same bus driver on a school route...) and he put a lot of energy into telling me off.

A few days/weeks later i thought about it and i also thought about why i'm not greeting my bus driver when i enter. I started to say hi. I liked it. I liked saying hi to my bus driver.

I forgot my bus ticket again. No issues no worries. there was mutual respect and that mutual respect came to acknowleding him.

I like greeting my neigbhours as well. Somehow it makes a small connection between us.

and yes i read the part with the shield: The first step is a hi. Every other step is easier not harder. Finding out their names, a little bit of talking about family and friends etc.

If i would have worked close enough to Bill Gates i probably would have talked to him sooner or later. Why not? He is a human, not like Mark Zuckerburg.

I'm not rich but very comfortable and i always and always have greated and talked to cleaning people.

and still i wouldn't have taken the headphones. Because thats stealing and my moral and ethics are not defined based on other people 'bad' behaviours.

A lot of people around me are 'oblivous/busy with live' and that has nothing to do with what they earn.