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Every meeting, email, or letter begins with a greeting. "Good morning," "hello," or
"dear *recipient.*" Only once an opening has been made can the intent of communication be addressed. However, though unnecessary in content, such polite phrases serve to transition and maintain friendly relations beyond just solemn work.

In Korean, the staple greeting comparable to "hi" or "hello," literally means, how are you? However, no one interprets it that way or responds to the question. Despite not staying true to its meaning, it is a necessary means of easing into the meat of a conversation. Very isolated from the other employees, I often found myself asking for favors or questions at work without saying "hi" or "how are you" first. I noticed I was disrupting their work and disregarding their existence as a person and instead only seeing them as a source of inquiry. By bypassing any greeting, any conversation becomes too abrupt. Or even when saying "let's hang out sometime" to friends. Although there may be no intention to meet up, a cordial relation can be maintained by at least playing the part.

In essence, the use of, often, meaningless expressions seems artificial. The majority of the time people don't actually want to know how you are, and these phrases may even be insensitive to know that there is no authenticity. However, because of the commonality of these phrases, when used genuinely, they can be even more meaningful. It displays that amidst the superficiality of society, at times, certain people truly care to know you.