When I was a child I was taught to be considerate of others, to say please and thank you and above all treat everyone as equals. My father taught me to shake hands like a man, firm and respectful but not bone crushing macho. My mother promoted a little more aggression, fearing that her boy might be picked on if he was not assertive. I settled someplace in between, saving my passion and assertiveness for my art.

In this rapidly shrinking world we keep encountering people whose meet and greet customs are different from ours. With all the confusion of mismatched cultures, have we given up? Have we quit trying to make a simple handshake between cultures?

Can we afford to give up? Cultures differ, religious beliefs differ but we are all in this world together. Whether you greet with your hand outstretched, raised palm forward or pressed to your heart, it is still a greeting between two human beings. Equals. And most greetings involve using your hands.