Masked Conversations

A good and meaningful chat can be the highlight of a day. It could excite you, intrigue you, amuse you or leave you yearning for more. But until we find our self in one of these, there are a whole lot of nonverbal conversations we knowingly or unknowing engage in regularly.

We are surrounded by strangers and while we don’t necessarily speak to them; we see them, take notice, and make observations. They are flocking all around us, we find ourselves amongst crowds of strangers, and we navigate carefully, keeping safe distance, avoiding bumping into others. More so now. But, in all this, we still do interact with them. We look at them, we perform a little action — we sigh in relief after having run across the platform to catch the train in time, we roll our eyes at things that are unpleasant for our taste, we look away instantly in pretense when caught leering, the little stretch of the lips in a welcoming smile when someone take the empty seat next to us, the curling of the eyebrows when we are unable to fully comprehend what’s in front of us and the involuntary opening of the mouth in surprise looking at the food served on the next table.

These expressions allow for so much more subtle interactions than words can, essentially filling up the silent gaps. They are a great conversation starters for extroverts, and for the thinkers, expressions are open to interpretation and imagination. Until now, I had not realized that most of the interactions we have on a daily basis are nonverbal conversations. All thanks to the masks we wear, the absence of nonverbal communication makes every interaction aloof and empty.

While at the store recently, three interactions with strangers felt the vacuum of nonverbal exchanges.

I heard a child screaming, I turned around and saw a little kid throwing up her hands in the air and eagerly looking at her father standing at a distance. Even in the backdrop of the continuous babble, the little angel in her pram looked beautiful in her attempt to reach out to her father. I looked towards the mother with a soft smile on my face, only to realize I had a mask on, and that my action was now translated to merely staring at the mother.

Sadly, there are a very small percentage of people whose smile reach their eyes.

While walking down a fairly narrow aisle, I see a couple walking in my direction. The lady kindly slowed her pace and moved from besides to behind the man, to leave enough space for me to pass by maintaining a good distance. I wished I could smile and convey my appreciation for this little gesture. And in case the act was out of concern for distancing herself rather than giving me way, a reassuring warm smile would still be a good acknowledgement for the same. After all, anyone taking precaution for self is doing the society good.

I was looking through some home appliances, just browsing the best deals lined up. I was interested to see the product specifications, the prices, the details, but no intention to purchase anything. A slightly curious, yet clueless appearance across my masked face. The salesmen approached me and takes the initiative to describe one of the products in detail. Under pre Covid circumstances, he would be anticipating my next question based on my expressions and being quick on his feet to address it before I even bring it up. But he stood there quietly, demonstrating his availability to assist.

It’s not that reading a face is the ultimate, but not having that access reduces the chances of some interesting and kind encounters that I am greatly fond of.

I welcome you to share your views on the same. The response section awaits your words.