How Are You? - Opinion Piece

Jan 29, 2022 08:00AM ● By Karen Warrington

white woman in a tan wide brimmed hat and spring coat, talking to a Black man in a brown coat. both are wearing masks.

During a trip to China, I attended a meeting where government officials were providing an overview of China’s rapid economic and technological growth during a span of fewer than four decades.

One official explained that a half-century ago China was largely an agrarian or agricultural society, meaning much of its population was rural and dependent on farming. Food was scarce. But, today China is a manufacturing and technological powerhouse and hunger is not paramount.

The official said when China was mostly a farming society the morning greeting or salutation among rural neighbors was, “Have you eaten?” This greeting represented the major concern regarding hunger in a rural community rather than being a mindless way of acknowledging the start of a new day. Now because of the country’s rapid growth, that greeting is no longer necessary.

Here on American turf, and in the midst of our continuing pandemic, while everyday greetings may not have changed, they have much more gravity. I now call and check on my friends on a more regular basis and I have become aware of how greetings and salutations have much more gravity. “Hi, how are you?” and the spontaneous, “Fine!” are both spoken with greater emphasis and listened to more intently. I am no longer mindlessly mouthing empty words. I am being more intentional.

When the pandemic ends or wanes hopefully there will be lessons learned. Maybe the pandemic terror has helped us to better understand how interdependent and other-concerned we are or can be.

At the start of the pandemic, many set up their sewing machines, made their own patterns, and designed colorful masks, not just for themselves, but for extended family and community members. When the government and media failed miserably in providing information regarding vaccine availability, many became information central bureaus in their living rooms, not only for their immediate family circle but the extended community circle. And, rather than having in-depth conversations about neighborhood or celebrity gossip, we painstakingly gathered and sought out critical medical information to help us better understand the mosh pit of misinformation we found ourselves in.

Boosters, N95 masks, omicron, and other variants are now part of our everyday lexicon. Language, salutations, and social interaction have been possibly forever altered. And, just as the morning salutation on a farm in the mountains in China reflected a harsh reality, our new inflections represent where we now find ourselves. And, possibly buried somewhere in this new reality, I believe there are many demonstrated positives of caring and concern to continue to practice.

How are you?

Karen Warrington has had a decades long career as a broadcast journalist, communications professional, performing artist, and documentary filmmaker. She has traveled extensively throughout Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. She is committed to being a voice for the African Diaspora.