It would appear, that given our newly emerged global consciousness, we are not only participants but actual witnesses to a natural phenomenon sweeping through our own species. I wish I had the gift of the gab. I wish I could sit down beside an absolute stranger on the bus and, right out of the blue, say something really striking. Real conversation starters, that's what I aspire to. That's because there's usually some kind of weather to comment on.
Weather is a safe subject.
We don't have to take chances and look like possible idiots when we comment on the weather. In fact, that's the beauty of the weather conversation starter. The truth is that I feel uncomfortable trying to make small talk with strangers. True masters can start off by posing a question, answering it themselves, and then heading out on the verbal freeway and rambling on for hours without taking a breath. When dealing with these folks it pays to start laughing uncontrollably early in the conversation because it can save you hours of listening to messy details about a gall bladder attack that began as heart burn and finally ended in a lobotomy.