What’s In It For Me?
August 15th, 2009 by Ana Scherer
How did you treat the waiter at the restaurant last night? How about the beggar you passed by on a busy street? Relationships in today’s world are very much about utility. If the other person doesn’t serve me to get to my goal, directly or indirectly, why would I invest in the relationship?
The one who respects the person that has no power whatsoever and treats him/her with deference has great merit. This act alone will attract respect and admiration and will build a great deal of friendships. When we avoid treating others with respect because we can’t see how this person will be of use to us, we are sending a message that she doesn’t matter to this world and denying her right of being acknowledged. This act alone is almost as serious as murder. We are “killing” her from a social point of view. We are saying “you don’t matter to me and to society.”
In many levels, the treatment we give to others is the treatment we are giving to ourselves. If we only engage in relationships that will have some “utility” for us in the present or future, we are bound to be treated the same way by others.
Think about that the next time you are face to face with a person that can do nothing for you. Would you smile to this person? Would you say a kind word? Or would act with entitlement and remind them of their powerless state? It’s always your choice.
With energy,