10.21.25: The Universal Elevator Rule
No matter the country, the rules of the elevator never change. Eye contact is forbidden. Talking is rare, unless you’re with friends. Everyone faces forward like soldiers waiting for orders. It’s a strange little pocket of human behavior. Perfect strangers trapped in a box, silently negotiating how close is too close. I once tried to break the rule with a “Nice day, huh?” and was met with the cold silence of six people united in their hatred for my small talk. It’s not just an elevator. It’s a shrine to the art of pretending we’re not all awkward together.
