A case of, prosopagnosia, or just bad, at recognizing people's faces, or it may be, a case of, NOT knowing how to behave, with the elders, in a socially, acceptable, manner??? Translated…
Early in the morn, as I got home from getting the morning papers at the store, I'd bumped into the daughter of my coworker who lives downstairs. She'd pressed the button of her floor, turned and asked, "What floor?"
I was surprised that she asked, because from when she was young, my coworker had taken her to the office to do her homework there, and she'd sat next to me or opposite. Besides, we'd been neighbors thirty years, there were multiple opportunities we bumped into each other. What's more, just last week, she'd come to borrow the electric pump, and asked me how to use, and returned back to me. So, I believed, that she should, remember, me.
how those with prosopagnosia process faces, visually...photo from online
And so, soon as I got into my home, I'd started complaining to my wife, "Professor He's daughter from downstairs, don't know what floor I live on!", as she'd heard my tone, she'd smiled and told me, "you seemed angered by this, like I was the one who'd, offended, you!"
As she'd pointed it out to me, I'd, immediately begun, smiling—there are only seven stories in my building, a total of twenty-one families, and, my wife had asked me, privately, many a times, "who was that?", as we walked out of the elevator, or after I'd greeted the neighbors. And, we'd lived here a long, long time, and she'd always asked about the same individuals.
And every time I'd felt weird, she'd explained, "I just can't recognize them!", and reminded me of a report, that there was a woman, with a severe case of prosopagnosia, to the severe extent of not recognizing her own husband and her own, mother too.
My wife believed, that some had "the inability to recognize the specific faces" like her, and they're all worried that they don't recognize someone they should know, and worried that they might misrecognize someone, causing the awkwardness, unfortunately, those who aren't acquainted with them wouldn't understand, she'd hoped that I, someone who recognize people well, can empathize with her condition.
Surely then, the next time when a neighbor inquires, "What floor?", I shall have that heart of gratitude and respond, "fourth, and thank you!"
So, this is walking that mile in someone else's shoes, as there may be people around us who have these conditions such as prosopagnosia, or some other neurological deficiencies, that made it harder for them to recognize those whom they come into contact with regularly, and, we should all have the empathy, to understand, that hey, maybe s/he did not greet me, because s/he can't recognize my face, or s/he is too wrapped up into something internally, and, do NOT think, that someone else's kids need to, GREET you, because they do not!
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