More Than Just Background Noise
May 7, 2026
Writer: Rachel Maloy
Editor: Samantha Zemnick
The other day, I was walking into class, headphones in, head down, not really paying attention to anything around me. Out of nowhere, a classmate looked at me and said she loved my outfit. A stranger, in a room full of people, noticed me and chose to say something kind. After this semester, I’ll probably never see her again, and if I do, she’ll still be a stranger.
But that moment stayed with me.
These kinds of interactions happen every day. Brushing past someone. Making brief eye contact. Saying “I’m sorry” or “excuse me” after bumping into each other. People we barely know can still leave lasting impressions. Everyone around you is living a life just as full and complicated as your own. There’s actually a word for this: sonder - the realization that every person you pass carries an entire, unseen world within them.
That girl who complimented my outfit has a whole life I know nothing about, and I have one she’ll never know either.
Moments like that can shift your perspective. Most people aren’t paying as much attention to you as you think; they’re wrapped up in their own thoughts, their own worries, their own lives. And yet, a simple, passing comment from someone can change your entire day. Mine did.
These small interactions matter. They shape how we see ourselves and how we relate to others. They soften the edges between “us” and “them,” reminding us that strangers aren’t just background noise, they’re people, just like us.
Thinking this way has changed how I move through the world. I find myself more aware, less judgmental, and more patient with the people around me. It’s easier to remember that what others say or do isn’t always personal; it often reflects what they’re carrying in that moment.
It took me a while to really understand that. But once you do, it changes everything. You start to see people differently.
These interactions may seem small, but they aren’t. We are constantly passing through each other’s lives, even if only for a moment.
And to her, I was just another passing face, too.
