"Hmmm... let's be social," I guess, I started to make up sentences to one of the people closest to me. And surprisingly, all I got back was a nod or a smile, some even go to an extend on putting up a serious defensive posture, as if preparing to strike on a helpless prey.
"You guys are really dull," I silently murmured to myself. With the tense atmosphere, it's really started to seem like a prison for trapped mice. With my last-ditch attempt to save myself, I strife up a new topic again, now closely observing the people with the built-in mirrors in the elevator, trying to get at least some to budge. No luck. One of them even look me in the eye with a brick-wall face, an expression which really destroy all my hope and salvation.
"Now I just made my death sentence closer," I rolled my eyes. Silence was all there is, uneasiness, awkwardness, unpleasantness, just name it... It feels like an eternity before I finally got out alive.
Here's what i learned, let's start with the idea of silence in the elevator. How often do you find chatting up a conversation with the mob of strangers in such a confined space? Conversations in the elevator are generally not recommended. If you are the type of person who likes to meet new people and and desperate to find a new friend in the awkward elevator, then keep the topic simple and light, i.e. I love your coat, your earrings are beautiful, or how about those Yankees? But you might really want to reconsider your venues if you want to have a decent night off =D
The reason silence existed comes down to one of the concepts, known as Proxemics. It's basically defined as the use of space by man in relation to respective cultures and social ethics. Any unnecessary bridge into someone's personal space and you might get mild observations from surrounding strangers or just tension building up to critical level while you're on your slow agonizing wait to the 50th floor.
Since making connections are out, you have no choice and left with a decision to 'face the world alone', nothing to do but staring at the plain metal walls of the elevator thinking about the safety of the lift in the suspended air and preoccupied with the thoughts of ending up lying on a white bed with a familiar antiseptic smell you want to avoid. Now, elevators became the sanctuary where you self-reflect or at least a place where your eyes are glued to the elevator floor indicator.
The stories does not end here, We as the main intelligent lifeform on this planet starts by complaining about how slow the elevator was since you have nothing to do and boredom takes over. With that, elevator companies starts to brainstormed in a way how to keep people distracted since a faster, efficient way of vertical transport was not available by then. Hence the idea of the use of mirrors in elevators were born, not the 'mirrors' which traps you in another dimension, not to ever return again to reality but mirrors which are lady's best friends. With the installation of these reflecting glasses, people would think about something else besides danger. Is my hairdo okay? Was her hair combed properly? Now that you don't have to look directly into her eyes, at the same time you can still self-reflect and thought silently to yourself, wow that girl is hot!! And now you know why mirrors were built and do use it to your advantage =D
Innocent
