**To watch the video this blog post is based on, click here.**

Every now and then a viral video will hit it big on Facebook and make the rounds on newsfeeds. I am not talking about a mega YouTube viral sensation, but a well-done video that touches people and generates some social media buzz. Recently I viewed a video that fits this criteria.

Have you seen the “Ex-Lovers Meet After 30 Years” video? I have seen it shared on timelines by several of my friends, all girls. The situation  itself is interesting. A man and a woman had a passionate relationship three decades ago. For whatever reason it came to an end. Then, many years later, the man surprises the woman. However, for me, a couple really weird quirks make the story much more entertaining (click here to watch the video).

First off, this couple ended their relationship in a very strange way. When they decided to cease the romance, the man went to one end of the Great Wall of China and the woman went to the other end of the Great Wall of China. The two then walked toward the middle where they met each other for one last goodbye. WHOA. Who does that? I guess some people find it romantic, I just find it really funny. I immediately wanted to get a good look at these people.

The second bizarre circumstance centers on the “art performance” the woman was engaged in when her former love surprised her. This lady had a show at the Museum of Modern Art where she would partake in an “artistic display” with museum patrons. What would actually happen, you ask? People would form a long line and wait forever just to have the opportunity to walk up to a chair, sit directly in front of her with just a coffee table as a barrier, and stare at her while she stared back. Seriously. That’s it. You pretty much play a blinking game with someone…and it is called art. Just like with the Great Wall of China act, this one didn’t really impact me in any way except for making me laugh. Now I really needed to see this video! What type of people would possibly do this?!

Who would possibly do this? Well, this guy! No joke, this is an actual person who waited forever to stare at the woman.

The production was typical of these type of viral videos. You had simple camera shots, a lot of facial expressions, and a powerful song. The set up was pretty much what I envisioned when I read the article prior to viewing the video. It was literally in some plain room with people standing all around watching the staring contest in the middle. The idea was just as outrageous in reality as what I had envisioned it in my brain.

But not all of it meshed with my preconceived notions. In fact, I made a couple blunders in what I thought I would see. I believed the man and woman would be Asian. I was wrong about both of them. But race was hardly what surprised me the most. What really struck me was how disappointed I was.

The former loves staring at each other.

While many of my Facebook friends called the video “beautiful,” or went on about how much it made them cry, I never felt any of those ways. Instead, I was very much underwhelmed by the woman’s reaction. I was fully expecting that the second she saw her old flame her eyes would widen, she would gasp, and then she would fly out of the chair and jump into his arms. She never came close to doing any of those three things. Rather, she sat in her chair and looked back at him. She then extended her hands for an embrace. Sure you could see emotion and tears but I was expecting just a little bit more.

An emotional woman after seeing her former love for the first time in over 30 years.

Of course people will probably say that her simple reaction and the act of her putting her hands in her face when he left was more powerful than what I had expected. I can’t come to grips with that. Especially with these two very interesting people, I was hoping that a barrage of interesting things would occur when the man sat down. For me it just fell short. While the story and the backgrounds of the man and woman got me to watch it, having now seen it, I can’t recommend it. Instead I guess I will just write a blog post about it. Don’t Blink.