Where's the eye contact, man?

During my time in the city, I was reminded of how rare eye contact can be. As I walk the pedway or sidewalks, my natural inclination is to look at people, give them a nod or a grin. Very few look back, and I suspect the ones who do are ruralites in town for the conference.

It occured to me that I'll occasionally run into this on backcountry trails, too. You're hiking south; somebody else is hiking north. Out of courtesy you say, "How's it going?" or smile as your paths cross. Although rare, I've had experiences where the other hikers don't look at me and ignore my words.

Man, that's just rude. I can understand the thing on city streets. I don't particularly like it, but I can see from a safety mechanism that it might be a good idea. But out there in God's green world, say hello, please.

Are you afraid of me?