My son and I visited his new school yesterday.  We walked into the registrar’s office and sat down.  She was helpful and we got our classes for the new year.  During our conversation she mentioned that some of the students practiced handshakes and other formalities that they might need when out in the real world.

It occurred to me how simple a handshake can be.  It conveys a lot about the attitude of each person, their expectations of the business-like interaction that may follow.  If one pays attention to the nuances of the handshake it also conveys the social status or imagined social status of each person.

What could a simple handshake do in the ongoing struggles of the Middle East?  Women probably have the most to gain.  If they practice their handshakes with each other and with the men around them, they will be able to approach other men too and take the initiative of the handshake.  Even if their handshake is rejected, it sets the tone that the woman expects a business-like interaction and that she has already taken some power.