The Importance of a Friendly Greeting

 https://www.shemayisrael.com/publicat/hazon/tzedaka/The_Importance_of_a_Friendly_Greeting.html

Rabbi Irving Bunim, a noted Torah educator of the 20th century, discusses the importance of initiating a greeting, and he writes:

"There is many a person whose petty conceit will not permit him to recognize anyone unless he is recognized first. The other person must make the first move. This is his way of establishing and maintaining his 'dignity,' he believes. Others will hesitate from a sense of insecurity to be the first to extend a warm greeting to those they meet. They are afraid to give a token of friendship and receive only an icy stare in return. They will therefore insist on waiting until the person they meet takes the 'emotional risk,' while they 'play it safe.' Whatever the reason, such behavior is wrong. Take the initiative, says our Sage. Do not seek a sense of conceit or importance, or an illusion of security, at the expense of another's feelings. Give him a friendly greeting with a warm smile, and inquire, if you will, after his welfare." (Ethics from Sinai - a Commentary on Pirkei Avos by Irving Bunim)