Monterey Bay, Pacific Grove, California
That’s the second time today I turned my head and caught someone staring at me or turning away. It happens the other way too. I’ll look at someone, maybe they remind me of somebody or have an attractive quality, and they turn their head and look right at me. I’ve learned to stay alert, take quick glimpses, and act like nothing’s happening if I get caught. We’ve all experienced these things. But how does it happen? You feel someone watching you, unconsciously, and turn. It’s always unconscious; I only recognize it a split second after it happens.
Should we conclude that we can feel a connection, human to human, with a person we don’t even know, a connection strong enough to get our attention? My next question is, how is it being communicated? Okay, if you test it, it doesn’t happen every time; try getting the attention of a waiter. But they’re too distracted to be in touch with their feelings. Using this common quirk as evidence that we’re all connected is entirely anecdotal, I understand, but if everyone can account for the same experience, there must be something to it. So, if we can feel a connection across a restaurant with someone we don’t know, what else can we feel that we’re discounting? How else are we connected?