On Contagious Empathy

The Yawn.

(Some) research suggests that yawning demonstrates empathy, accounting for its post-childhood contagiousness, only after which we've developed the ability to relate to other people's feelings. And, if that's the case, imagine all the sharing and compassion being exchanged by perfect strangers / frenemies / and unlikely friends, on the crowded streets of (new york) cities, on subway cars and platforms, on planes / trains / and automobiles, while standing on lines, while raising our hands, while debating between paper or plastic in the aisles of supermarkets / drugstores / recycling bins. Moments of frustration and impatience are interrupted by commiserating gestures of unacknowledged kindness, as the yawning bystander maintains the chain of understanding without a single ounce of awareness. Enjoy!