Why are we like this? No, seriously, why?
Why must we have these awkward and embarrassing moments? Are we characters in a comedy movie?
Are we having these moments so that the one who witnesses them, and one who is in need of a laugh, watches it and is happy again?
Just why do these moments happen? To teach us humility, perhaps.
At some point or another, you may have faced some, if not all, of these awkward moments.
Here's a list of awkward moments that begs the question: Why Are We Like This?
1) Waving at Strangers
You are minding your own business when someone is coming your way and waves at you. As a reflex, you wave back.
The person suddenly looks at you like you're a mad person. You don't know this stranger, but you thought they were being friendly. You look around, and sure enough, another person is coming up right behind you, and the one who was being waved at.
This is the most embarrassing moment of your life. These two strangers meet, they talk, and you hear them laughing as you walk past. Of course, they are talking about the time a stranger, you, waved at them for no reason!
2) The Side-step dance
You see someone approaching in the opposite direction and immediately move to the side. The other person moves to the side as well. And so now both of you are trying to move past each other, but are in sync like dancers.
It takes almost a minute before one stops and lets the other walk away.
Just how many times has that happened!
3) Pretend you heard the second time
You may not be in a noisy place, but distracted by the background music playing behind you and contemplating adding it to your playlist. The next minute, the people with you are talking to you, and you realize you have no idea what was being said.
They repeat it a second time, and to you, it sounds like all gibberish. Is it the background noise, your distracted thoughts, or the other person's inability to enunciate their words? Either way, you're too embarrassed to admit it and say yes to something that causes the other person to look at you weirdly.
Do you know what you just agreed to?
4) Awkward laugh at someone's joke
You're with a couple of friends, and someone makes a joke that doesn't really amuse you, but the others are laughing, and so even though you didn't understand the punchline, you laugh too, a little too hard.
The person telling the joke watches you with a raised eyebrow and proceeds to explain the joke to you.
Everyone nods and tries to help you understand the joke. The thing is, you still don't find it funny, but now you have to act like you did and really convince them that you found it funny.
5) Making eye contact with a stranger
You are at a cafe, with a warm cup in your hands, and seated by a window, watching the sunset and losing yourself in your thoughts.
When you bring yourself back to Earth, you realise a stranger at a bench across has been looking at you and wondering if you're interested in them.
You don't know whether to change your seat or get out of the cafe and run.
6) Applauding at the wrong moment
A speech is being made, or you're at a musical and waiting to get out of here and go home or any place more interesting.
You think the speech or musical is ending and begin to clap, only for the audience to turn around with annoyed looks.
Turns out there is more, and you just clapped prematurely.
7) The Awkward Hug
This usually happens with someone new. A person you met suddenly hugs you at the end of the evening.
You wonder how to go about it. Should you pat their back, go for only half a hug, or be the first to pull away?
Just what are you supposed to do when this person decides to hug you instead of shaking hands after leaving?
8) Apologising All the Time
You bump into a chair and say sorry. Nobody is sitting in that chair.
Someone bumps into you, and you say sorry.
You almost bump into someone and say sorry.
A cat crosses your path, and you say sorry.
It's as if you are stuck on that chosen word, regardless of who or what comes in front of you.
The word "Sorry" is just etched in your mind for some reason.
9) Walking the wrong way
You are pretty sure you know the way to go after you get off the metro or bus stop. Halfway, you realise you need to take the pedestrian bridge that is in the other direction.
You are heading back when you realize that you would rather cross the road at the signal, which is in the opposite direction.
Now you're going back and forth and still haven't crossed the road.
You look up and catch a couple of people looking at you with amused looks.
No doubt they are wondering if you are a tourist in the country you were born in.
10) Saying You Too at the wrong moment
Saying You Too may be part of the basic manners we learned as kids. If someone is wishing well for you, you wish them back, right?
Except things don't go as planned.
The waiter says, "Enjoy your meal", and you say, "You too." But they are not eating yet.
A salesman tells you to enjoy your purchase, and you say, you too. But they haven't bought anything. They're selling.
Or you're sick, and a friend says that they hope you feel better soon. You too. The friend isn't the sick one!
So there you are, saying "you too" to everyone but at exactly the wrong moment.
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