The late John Prine, in his song, Pretty Good, offered a clever response to all the people who ask, “How are you?”  He says, “Pretty good, not bad, I can’t complain; but actually everything is just about the same.”  To ask, “How are you doing?” (How’s it going?  What’s up?) is to share in a perfunctory, casual, superficial, and often expected greeting that occurs regularly.  The salutation is not usually intended to engage the other but to simply acknowledge the person; most people are not interested in a response of significance other than, “Fine,” “I’m well,” or “All is good.”  It is considered a friendly greeting to passers-by, or a polite conversation starter, but not usually intended to be the focal point of interaction unless in a hospital or care-taking relationship. 

In addition to considering personal health and well-being, the words “How are you?” invite us to oneness with all else.  Intertwining physical, mental, social, emotional aspects of being inculcates our relationships, career, self-esteem, financial security, religious beliefs, leisure activities, stress levels, and life purpose.  It’s ironic, perhaps even profound, that something so meaningful can be portrayed in something so trite, like a common greeting we speak and hear many times a day.

But I think that Prine is also beckoning us to go deeper.  It’s not just about our personal existence but that of the whole world, factoring in personal and national economy, the state of peace in some places and war in others, injustices existing in societies, starvation that can be alleviated, cancer and other diseases that plague families and loved ones.  How we relate to the universe and its many variables also impacts how we’re doing.  Whether our team won or lost yesterday, the mood of our teenage child this morning, the weather and traffic today—these things sometimes impact us more than world affairs.  When they do, we may want to reevaluate the alignment of our mind, heart, and soul.  

The Jesuits and others who engage in Ignatian Spirituality utilize a prayer called The Examen or Examination of Consciousness as a daily alignment with God, ourselves, others, and all creation—usually several times a day.  It is essentially an ongoing conversation with the Lord that asks, “How are you?” in a prayerful context.  It is a mutual exchange in which the person—say me—assesses his or her existence in the moment. I think of my blessings and look at the things for which I am grateful; next I consider my faults, the situations I flubbed, or my actions that harmed more than helped; then I review my recent interactions since my last “check in” mindful of specific graces within those encounters and God’s presence therein; I also reflect upon what lies ahead and ask the Holy Spirit to accompany and guide me in events on the horizon.  In addition to contemplating how I’m doing, I also consider how I’m doing with God—and even how God is (generally), or how God is (particularly) doing with me.

In prayerful reflection, I may confess that I move slower and forget faster, that I am losing strength or hair while gaining insight or wrinkles.  I may evaluate that I’m doing pretty good, not bad, and that I can’t complain or admit that everything is actually about the same.  Like Joni Mitchell’s hit song, Both Sides Now, I realize that something’s lost and something’s gained in living every day.  More than lamenting ups and downs that tend to even out, our conversations with God urge us to move onward knowing that we sometimes must take steps back so we can go forward.  I guess what I’m saying is that when someone asks, “How are you?” it’s not a bad response to reply, “About the same.”  It implies growth and setbacks, aches and pains, personal feelings and global realities, family hysterias and world struggles.  And if we’re trying to be one with the Lord in which we and God regularly ask one another, “How’s it going?” we may arrive at a better awareness of our place in creation and maybe even a better appreciation for the person who is thoughtful enough to ask, “How are you?”