By Elochukwu Emeasoba

“How are you?”
“What’s up?”

     Mum calls and asks, “how are you my dear?” She means well we know, but most times, the reply is a lie in the affirmative, “I’m fine mummy.”

   A friend/coursemate texts, “Hiiii, how are you, hope you’re good?” And the reply comes quickly, “I’m fine thank you,” sometimes we might add, “and you?”

      The question, “How are you?”, has been reduced from being a genuine enquiry about the well being of another, to a norm of social practice; more like an act of courtesy towards the other. True, many persons do not subscribe to expressing their feelings (especially if it’s negative), they feel it’s like giving out bad vibes.

    However, because, “anything worth doing, is worth doing well,” it is necessary that each person looks inwardly, so as to treat the question of “how are you?” with a more sincere quest to knowing, and understanding the problems of the other.

      It is a two-way correspondence: the person asking, and the one asked. Each person should be willing to share the sweet-burden of listening, and then offering solution(s) to the issue at hand.

       What’s more? Since we keep “learning everyday,” it could be a great idea to come up with more endearing phrases like: “Hey what’s up, I really am concerned, tell me, I promise not to judge…”

~ You can do better.

~ Cheers to building stronger friendships.

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