There was a meeting today of some of the people in our group who are working on a project together. I am in the group, but I had a conflict and so could not attend the meeting.
The meeting organizer kindly recorded key parts of the meeting. He sent me a link to a video, which I just now finished watching.
It was very informative to “sit in” on the Zoom meeting, even if only forensically. But in a way the most interesting thing is what happened at the very end.
As the meeting wrapped up, everybody said goodbye. Each participant smiled and gave a wave into the camera before signing off.
Although it made no objective sense, I found myself smiling and waving along with everyone else. Obviously I was not there, and the meeting had long ended, yet I found the compulsion to join in at that moment to be overwhelming.
On a completely rational level, it was a very strange thing to do. Yet now that I think back on it, I am not sorry that I did it.