Meeting new people

We all follow certain social rules that we learn while growing up and living as a social beings. Those rules tell us what is acceptable and what is not, but I have always had a hard time deciding if something is acceptable or not. 

I feel like we are all pushed into society and told to start forming friendships and connections that we might use later on in life.

Yet there is one thing that constantly bothers me and that’s meeting new people. In my opinion it is acceptable to be introduced to someone by a mutual friend, it is okay to start a conversation if you are going to the same school or you both participate in an organised free time activity, but it seems weird to walk up to a complete stranger just to start a conversation.

Honestly, it could be just me. Maybe I am the only one that feels like that’s not acceptable way to make friends. And I  have also never heard my friends say something among the lines ‘we met when they passed by and I started a conversation,’ while introducing me to someone. It’s always someone they know from their childhood or school or trainings. 

I wish things would be different because I have seen so many strangers that looked like someone I would love to be friends with.

For example, last year I kept seeing a girl on my way home. We would always smile at each other, but never stopped to say hi and start a conversation. So for one year I would look forward to seeing her and every day I promised myself that I would start a conversation, but it never happened. Then summer came, and with new school year I assume both of our schedules changed so I don’t see her anymore. To this day I still wish I had enough courage to walk up to her and introduce myself because she seemed like a friendly person and let’s be honest, it’s always good to have a friend.

What are your thoughts on it? Have you ever started a conversation with someone who smiled at you on the street and maybe even become friends with them?