It happened again. I was walking down the road, when a stranger approached from the opposite direction. Trying to predict which way they would step, I went left, but so did they, they went right and so did I. Before I could get my brain into gear, we had met. I had interrupted their progress and they had gotten in the way of mine. There were the usual muttered apologies, before we both went on our way, puzzling over our shared moment of spontaneous indecisiveness.
But how does this rarely spoken of, but frequently occurring episode come to pass?
Let’s treat it as a game. The game starts when you make a connection with the approaching stranger, perhaps through eye contact. They make their first move based on what they predict you to do. But this isn’t a game of chess, and you’re first move takes place at the same time, which is based on your prediction of their movement. If these first moves are identical, it sets the pattern. Since this game tends to only have two or three moves in total, there is not much time to adjust. Added to this is the factor that a tired brain can lead to being drawn to your opponent by some sort of subconscious magnet.
The way to win this particular game is obvious. Don’t play it! If the game starts through making eye contact or at least some sort of connection with your opponent (i.e. they know that you know that they are there), then don’t make that connection. Pretend to be caught up in your own thoughts, or to be studying the floor as you walk.
So the next time I went out, I did this and it was successful. I pretended to be studying the ground, where I saw all sorts of interesting things, like sweet wrappers and uneven pavements. I did that thing where I tried to walk within the lines between concrete slaps and then I tried not to step on my shadow, all the time not walking into people, because they made the adjustment without needing to predict my movements.
Then I walked into a lampost.
