I walk into a particular place sometimes. It's a new place I have been attending on occasion. There are lots of warmly, welcoming people. Newsletters are given to me before I walk to my seat, and the people handing them out greet me warmly and usually shake my hand. After the presentation, people stand around and shake people's hands on the way out. What strikes me is how friendly everyone seems to be. There is one elderly man who I see most weeks, but when I smile at him, his face glowers in return. I am sure he sees me, as he looks right at me, but then he ignores me and walks haltingly to his seat. I cannot be sure, but I wonder, do some of the people who smile at me, secretly dislike me on sight and wonder who I am? I say this because I am aware that I do not always give a good first impression to people, and I have learnt elsewhere that, what seems like initial friendliness, may be a front for gossip and cliques. The old man shows me I am a stranger, and that I don't know him and he doesn't know me. He will not smile at me unless he genuinely likes me and connects with me. I wonder, does he smile at anyone? I suspect he is more trustworthy than some of the people I meet who smile so disarmingly at me. What I do know is that it will take time for me to find out the undercurrents at play, the politics, and to find out what his, and others, intentions are. What may seem friendly on the surface, may not be. What may appear to be unwelcoming at first, may be a more trustworthy environment than what seems initially welcoming. The crux is whether or not the people in the seemingly welcoming environment are genuinely welcoming, or not, and whether or not this is a front for undercurrents. I know never to assume until the hand shows itself; it is a lesson hard learnt. As a saying goes, "actions speak louder than words", and I know I will have to bide my time to find out truth.
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