How to be happy though human / by W. Béran Wolfe.
359/400

step toward establishing a social rapport. Be that more intelligent person. In my experience, a courteous or a kindly word of greeting or interest is almost never' rebuffed. And let anyone who is rebuffed remember this : any human being who rebuffs a cordial greeting or an expression of human interest is likely to be a severely neurotic man or woman, too prejudiced in his egoistic self-approbation to make fresh human contacts. Great minds are the most cordial and the most friendly. I have known neurotic, ill-bred, spoiled, and socially maladjusted adults insulted by the greeting of a stranger, but I have never known a really big human being to be so insulted. On the contrary, I have seen one of the world’s most eminent surgeons spend half an hour discussing the plight of a sick horse with a superannuated hack-driver, and I have seen an admiral stop an important interview to explain the mysteries of a battleship turret to a twelve-year-old boy. Part of the technique of making friends, therefore, consists in breaking the ice. It is for this reason, primarily, that weather, football, and politics exist as topics of small talk. I have known super-serious neurotics who spurned conversation because they could not immediately discuss Kantian metaphysics or the Einsteinian theory of relativity with a casual acquaintance, but it is obvious that this type of intellectual snobbery is merely an artificial defence mechanism. Let no one who would make friends forego these small topics of conversation. They serve as the lubricating oil of human communal life, and are as important as good manners, cleanliness, and being well-dressed. To those who are incapable of making these contacts, I suggest the following : go up to several strangers every day and inquire the time, or the best way to reach a certain address, regardless of the absolute value of such information. This is the first step in training yourself to talk to strangers. Carry this on until it no longer makes you self-conscious to make a “ cold ” contact. The second step in the art of making friends is the