An Indian friend and classmate in my MBA class would always comment, often in the middle of a heated conversation among classmates, "Times change. People change." I don't believe in what he has been saying.
But just recently I got a brief message, so brief you could read it in a second, from what I believed as "friend" whom I have not seen for half a decade. I was expecting this person would write and share something newsy like latest stories about life and work. And I was also expecting that this soul would ask the universal "how are you" thing. None of these things were found in this person's digital missive.
I just deleted the message after I read it. I didn't bother to reply. I was the one who first wrote to this person because it was a special day for this soul.
No, I was not offended that this individual wrote like one who wanted to eat an instant noodle. It was the salutation manner that slashed my sensitive heart. Will you be happy receiving a letter with "Hi there, Hi all, Hello there, Hey"? Well, if this person was a perfect stranger, the salutation style would have been perfectly acceptable to me, though I always admonish my Business English students never to use "generic salutation" in all types of their letters because this is very impersonal.
This person has known me for many years and we studied in the same school so I was expecting that this soul would address me "Mike" even without the Hi, Hello, Hey, or even just "To Mike." Or better, "Attention Mike" with "To Whom This May Concern."
I was hurt. I thought this person was a friend.
A friend will always call you by your name. Do you agree with me?
I will now delete the name of this person in my friendster list.
P.S. Later I was informed that this person is already living somewhere in the other side of the planet. Maybe "nidako na sab ang ulo." Read my previous post:
"How to Declare War Against an Arrogant Filipino."Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=780.0