We're All Dancing Animals

A simple reminder of what it means to be human

Barcelona, 2009.

A couple of weeks ago, I sat in the lobby of a big tech company waiting for a dear friend. Five feet away, a security guard stood at the entrance greeting every single person who walked in. "Good morning!" "Happy Tuesday!" You could tell he genuinely meant it.

I started watching the people on the receiving end. Some barely looked up, others mumbled something, and only a handful made eye contact and responded in kind. Most folks walked straight past him, with their eyes on their phone and badge in their hand. It all felt so sad.

My mind went straight to a story Kurt Vonnegut once told his wife about going out to buy an envelope.

“Oh, she says, well, you're not a poor man. You know, why don't you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet?

And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I'm going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope.

I meet a lot of people. And a fire engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up. And I'll ask a woman what kind of dog that is. And, and I don't know. The moral of the story is we're here on Earth to fart around.

And, of course, the computers will do us out of that. And, what the computer people don't realize, or they don't care, is we're dancing animals. You know, we love to move around. And, we're not supposed to dance at all anymore."

That lobby was a stark reminder of what's happening to our species. Systems produce exactly the behavior they're designed to reward. We've built so many things to measure productivity, efficiency, and output. Nobody's measuring warmth, presence, or whether you look up. The autopilot gets set and even the most well-intentioned people lose themselves in it.

We're dancing animals. We need to move, connect, be seen, and make meaning together. That hasn't changed once in all of human history. These choices are always available.

On my way out a couple of hours later, I could hardly wait to see the security guard again. I caught his eye, smiled, and said thank you, have a wonderful day. He lit up. It took three seconds.

Over the next few days, catch the autopilot and come back to your senses. Choose the human thing.