How u doin Syndrome :-)

How u doing ???
A question being asked many a times not for the sake of getting any answer.
Its a gesture that many people show in US and many reply to it in a similar way.
This gesture is not limited by how much you know a person, its just a way of nodding for a fellow human being. But its kinda widespread and sometimes puts you in an awkward place. Especially when you are lost in ur own self and a stranger asks you How u doing? It sometimes tempts u to say I m not doing great, wud u like to share my concerns !! Well, many a times it does the good things like bringing cheers to your gloomy face.
When I came to this country, the first day when I was walking on the road unaware of this habit of people here, I was surprised and start wondering whether I even know this guy or not or whether this guy knows me or not? This is not a tradition in my land with more than 10 billion population where you come across more than 10 people every minute on the street.
Gradually I started liking this tradition and now I m also one of the patient of this syndrome. However, I like to change myself sometimes and instead of asking How u doing, I just say Hello or Hi..One of the funny incidence about this happened yesterday which actually inspired me to write this. I was walking down to the cafeteria in my office wherein a security guard came across me. Habitual to answering alright to the How u doing question, this person immediately responded to my Hello with alright. We both stopped for a moment to think what was asked and what was answered and we shared a smile and moved ahead. I thought that more than a good gesture this has actually became an epidemic where sometimes people just reply to prove themselves to be civilised.
This is not at all a bad habit though, but it forces oneself to reply and puts in an awkward position as happened y'day. But I will like to be victimized at least till it ends in a laughter only.