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Gruss Gott

November 8th, 2004

I spent the entire summer of 1996 in Germany. As you would imagine, it was a total cultural immersion. Even though most of my host family spoke English, they encouraged me to always speak German, live their lifestyle, and completely embrace the learning experience of being a visitor in a foreign country. I did not know at the time that I would actually be learning much more about my culture in the process.

In the part of southern Germany that I visited, most people have direct or indirect ties to the land or to a functional farm-type occupation. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of villages and tiny towns. It felt like I had traveled back in time to the 1800s. Horse-carts, pigs, hay, and all the accoutrements are plentiful. But, German villages, especially farming villages, are very different than the farms we see in the United States. I can say this with a certain level of authority since I grew up and currently reside in Indiana—Midwestern farm country—cow towns.

In Indiana, farms have huge plots of land – each with a house situated somewhere on the property. Some farmer’s closest neighbors are miles away. However, the fields in Germany are outside of the centralized village. The inhabitants of the village live in houses right next to each other and share common infrastructure such as churches and shops. They then commute out to the fields to work. Now, I realize that there are several historical, political, and environmental reasons for this difference, yet what impressed me was how the German village environment affected the personality of the villagers.

I first noticed something different when I took my first walk through the village. Each and every time I passed by another person, they said “Gruss Gott.” This is a simple southern German greeting that literally means “Greet God” or “God’s Greeting.” It can be interpreted several ways. However, I found that when people walked by each other in southern Germany that each person would look into the other’s eyes, say “Gruss Gott” and then go along with their business. I was not used to this in America because we rarely make eye contact with a stranger and virtually never say hello.

When I returned to the States it dawned on me that Americans really do not like to make this basic contact. We all have heard the advice not to make eye contact with strangers, especially when in a major urban setting. I guess the logic is not to draw attention to yourself or to welcome an interaction. Eye contact is the first indicator that you acknowledge someone else. Well, I tried it a few times in America when I got back from my trip to Germany. I even said, “hello” or “greetings” to some strangers. Suffice to say, I got the impression that the person on the other end of the exchange thought that I was a wack-job. Maybe true.

I have a theory about personal interactions in Amercia between people on the street or in passing. I never put this theory into practice until I started working at a major University. That is, I am now in a setting where I pass-by people every day. I do not know all of them, but often put the other person to a basic “test” of human interaction. When I see that I am going to pass-by someone I try to guess whether or not they are going to make eye contact, say hello or even smile.

The results? Most people on the street, in an elevator, in a hallway or other such situations do not make eye contact. I find that most people will not only refrain from making eye contact, but lower their head. It is funny. I see people coming and then wait for them to lower their head or look down instead of making eye contact.

If you do this in Germany, it is an insult. In America, this is normal behavior. So, next time you are walking on the street, on campus, in a grocery, on an elevator or in public, watch how many people lower their heads instead of making eye contact with each other. The trick is, try not to laugh out loud when you see it happen.

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