There is much that divides us – but

There is much that divides us. Time divides us. As does busyness. As do phones. As does the habit of rushing past each other. But there are also things that unite us.

When employees and students make eye contact and are present instead of having their eyes fixed on a screen and their ears closed off by a headset, something happens. Not anything big or dramatic. Just something you notice.

Politeness has gained a reputation for being somewhat old-fashioned. But maybe it is just another word for attention.

A ‘good morning’. A door that is held open. Offering help to someone who looks lost. A smile instead of looking at your phone.

They may seem to be small gestures. But small things are rarely small.

The Danish poet Benny Andersen reportedly had a keen eye for this: that great things are often hidden in small details. In the tone people use. In the little extra effort that we give each other.

This also applies at our university.

Community is not just something we mention in strategies and value statements. It is also what happens in everyday life: when we greet each other with a nod, a smile, a ‘good morning’. When we look up from our screens and are present instead of just moving along.

It is good manners.

Not as something formal, but as the willingness to occasionally step aside and make room for others.

We can be a place where people say ‘good morning’. Where we help someone who is looking for the right room. Where we do not treat each other as background scenery.

This is not about being polite – it is about making our university a little more human.

And perhaps this is where culture begins – in a look, a smile, a ‘hello’.

A ‘good morning’ is perhaps not so trivial after all.

Best regards,

Christian Bilde Dannevang
Collective union representative, AC TAP Klubben (DM, Djøf, DP and IDA (FÆL))
Vice chair of SDU’s Central Liaison Committee, etc.