I am not a fan of elbow greetings.

The COVID-era mainstream greeting involves bumping elbows. Perhaps it's not that new. Or maybe, I'm just that old fashioned. Or is it merely that I reject the mainstream. You get to be the judge.  

To start my case, I start with the question I ask time and time again - what is it for? What is a greeting for?

Greetings are for submission and demonstrating vulnerability. They are for allowing someone to hurt you and trusting them that they won't.  

• Handshakes? Showing your hands is a way of showing you do not intend to harm.

• Embraces? Embracing someone involves bringing them close to you - chest-to-chest almost.  

• A wave? As I wave, I am making the underside of my arm wide-open for an attack. I am opening myself up.  

• A nod? Lowering your head to another is a form of submission - you see that reaction when you feel shame.

But elbows?  

If I greet you with my elbow, I am closing my body off to you. I am saying that I do not wish to make myself vulnerable to you. I might be saying that I intend to harm you - an elbow can be a weapon.  

COVID is serious. 2020 was what it was, and we need to accept it for what it is. But let's not forget what things are for, or why we do things.  

Perhaps this silly post on greetings is another way to say, don't lose your intentionality.  

I am a fan of intention.  

I am not a fan of elbow greetings.