the other side of the bench

I've always found people watching to be one of the most intriguing passive activity society offers. The world caters to all different walks of life, then tosses them together like a mixed salad and even though onions, feta cheese, and raisins don't emit positive vibes it all seems to go down smoothly anyway.

She was young, he was old. She was thin, he was thick. She drove there in her car, he rode in on his bike. She was dressed for style, he was dressed for work. She ate from a bag of chips, he munched on an apple. She played on her mobile, he read a book. She sat on one side of the bench, he sat on the other side.

I was sitting on a bench in a park in front of Føtex (supermarket) by the harbor today when I spotted these two. She sat down first, proceeded to eat her chips while sending sms's, and took no notice of the man as he walked past her. He stopped on the far side of bench, ate an apple while reading a rather thick book, and took no notice of the girl who sat to his left. There really couldn't have been two more contrasting people in such proximity and yet they didn't show any signs of having acknowledged each other's existence.

Are we really that different or are we more similar than we think we are?

- thoughts, 14.5.09