Observing people when they don’t think they are being watched is one of the joys of life. I love people watching, and it occurs to me it is a dying art. That is a shame on many levels. The more time millennials spend with their faces buried in their phones and devices, the less time they have to see the world and the people in it.
Enough has been written about the demise of conversation due to devices. People watching costs nothing and gives so much. Over the years I think I have learnt as much about dealing with people by watching them as talking to them. Body language is a form of communication that teaches us plenty about the state of someone. The way a person walks, stands and sits can tell you more than thousands of words.
Sit in the middle of Pacific Werribee one day for half an hour and you will see a movie to rival anything on at the Village Gold Class. Sometimes it is disturbing, amusing, educational and entertaining. It also makes you think seriously about your own behaviour.
We often bemoan the erosion of social skills of the younger generation and I think this is part of it. The same goes for movies for passengers in the back seats of cars. What happened to taking in the scenery, listening to the radio or music and enjoying leaving the city behind for a day at the beach or in the country? Let’s face it, the kids can watch Thomas The Tank Engine on a device anywhere. While some car trips are more monotonous than others, do we really need it every time? Having said that, there are times I would like a movie on in the front seat, especially those long delays on the Westgate.
The other big advantage of people watching is the price – it is free and for the most part available 24/7. It is showing now in parking lots, restaurants, shopping centres, pubs, sporting arenas, bus stops and supermarkets (one of my personal favourites) and even your own house or better still, at the neighbours.
Try it soon and I have no doubt you will not only learn things but you will definitely feel better about yourself. It also reminds you when next you walk out the front door, somebody might be watching you.
