Bible Talk
Why for the most part are humans inclined to wave at each other? One passes by a complete stranger and the natural tendency is for mutual acknowledgement via a friendly wave—why is that? Grab your favorite snack and drink and pull up a chair and let’s chat about this.
Discussion
Short answer? The short answer is that we recognize the image of God in the other person, and ourselves, and that mutual bond is sort of an intersection point that makes us family, it makes us friends, not strangers. If we meet a dog or some other animal we acknowledge them differently in our consciousness—they are “different,” and we know that straightaway, but another human being is special, they are like us, and we are inclined to seek fellowship, and the outward manifestation of that desire as a first step is a handwave, and a smile usually to go with it. Of course, folks are preoccupied with all sorts of daily living issues that may blur that willingness sometimes—we walk right by someone without waving or smiling because our heart and mind is “somewhere else,” but all that aside, the natural inclination when two humans pass by each other is to share a handwave, and maybe a smile. It is the image of God within us, that common thread, indeed, common bond, that causes this engagement we think. That is, we see the image of God in the other person, and they see it in us. It is an unspoken acknowledgement of His image by way of a quick handwave and a smile.
Okay, let’s dig a little deeper, starting with the role of our brains. Our brains contain mirror neurons that fire both when we perform an action and when we observe someone else doing the same action. When we see someone waving or smiling, our mirror neurons activate, creating a sense of empathy and shared experience. Let’s be clear here, God put those neurons in our head. Now how about cultural norms? In many cultures, waving or nodding is a polite gesture to acknowledge others. These norms are learned from childhood and become automatic over time. And not least, we humans are social creatures, we seek connection and belonging. A friendly wave or smile serves as a nonverbal signal that says, “I acknowledge your presence, and I mean no harm.” It’s a simple way to establish rapport and reduce “social distance.” When someone waves or smiles at us, we feel validated and acknowledged, and we humans like that feeling. God no doubt designed it like that so we would do it on a grand scale one to another. That feeling of acknowledgment and validation feels so good because it is next to the heart of God. This positive reinforcement encourages us to reciprocate, creating a cycle of friendliness—it is a positive feedback loop, and feedback loops are at the heart of our Creator’s design, they serve as computational engines in that design, and they show up everywhere when one looks close enough. And so, here we see His creative handiwork yet again in what would seem to be a non-computational setting at first glance.
Well, bottom line, we humans want to connect with each other because in fact we long to connect with God. We recognize His image in others and in ourselves and connect quite naturally by way of that common stamp. Put another way, the handwave is probably us waving at the One whom we ever so long for, even God, though we likely never consciously think of it like that. Of course, in the end, though myriad handwaves “hold us over” for now, only God Himself can completely and satisfactorily satisfy that longing for Him, and He has made Himself available to us by way of our Savior, Jesus Christ (“A Letter of Invitation”).
A handwave and a smile for you great Savior God. Amen.