The problem with the standard greeting between two people (Hi! How are you?") is that it's pretending the two people are a part of a community when almost always they aren't. In truth it's not only a lie when it's a person you've never met before and will never meet again, say working at WalMart or whatever, it's still a lie even when the person saying it is someone you work with.

In either case, because you're not a part of an actual community with them, the only answer is to pretend you're just fine no matter how you may actually be feeling. Because of course it's not really anything to them if you're not doing well at all. It's not actually any of their business or concern and they're not going to do anything to help you out if you're not actually doing fine.

But as bizarre as the pretending you're just fine is no matter how you actually feel, the really bizarre part is the pretending you're a part of a community with the person in the first place, and thus have any business asking such a question.

The whole thing is a fucking bizarre charade; the pretending we are all a part of some big happy fucking community when actually we're almost all isolated, disconnected people who have to pretend we're happy with each other not only for the above reason but further, because you can lose you're fucking job if you don't appear suffciently mindlessly happy.

These constant strangers asking how I am, I want to respond: I'm not a part of a community with you. You're a total stranger to me who couldn't possibly care less how I'm doing. Quit pretending we're a part of community. There is no community. There is no connection at all.

Today my wife wanted to go to Taco Hell (she eats that unethical disgusting swill, I don't). Through the drive through some anonymous voice asks how she's doing today. She politely responds, "just fine, and how are you?" Speaking to an anonymous voice of someone if she even was seeing them, she'd have never seen them before or would ever see them again. I'm driving and so I'm in the middle of this bizarre conversation from Mars and I want to scream, "WE DON'T FUCKING KNOW YOU. YOU DON'T FUCKING KNOW US. QUIT PRETENDING WE'RE A PART OF SOME NON-EXISTENT COMMUNITY!"

Of course her boss just makes her ask how we're doing. It would be ridiculous to yell that. Incredibly stupid to bother doing so. Just as dumb to go inside and find the manager and yell it at him. Of course don't say anything.

The whole subject... I'm a drop against an ocean. Full of rage at the moment. Being "artistic" at the moment because I feel that it might lead to something useful. Might lead to some kind of worthwhile truth. But really it's just dangerous. Not satified with my lump of coal. Might end up with nothing at all.

A drop that doesn't even exist.