superior. Indifference and lack of concern can make a superior person
average."
As a society, we have become almost obsessed with asserting our rights – to
think, say, and do what we want. We have a right to be unkind, thoughtless,
and disrespectful but, it is NOT Right! And, that's not surprising, given
the ever-increasing population of this country and the need to fight even
for the basic needs.
The other day, one of our colleagues and a good time friend of mine, who is
well-known for her acts of kindness and courtesy, acted in a thoughtless
manner for the very first time. I do not know what warranted her to act
that way but, the incident has certainly left a unpleasant feeling in my
heart.
She had occupied a meeting room booked by us without our permission and
when we reached there, she began requesting me to go to a different room
that she had booked in another block, 50 metres away. I told her that our
meeting time was already on and that we are in no position to inform the
attendees about this last minute change. But, she kept insisting, even
suggesting that I put up a Post-It slip at the door of our original meeting
room to inform our invitees about the venue change - all this at the
expense of the time of the 10-15 invitees (read innocent people).
Our obsession to assert ourselves or the desire to show that we are
someone, sometimes, makes us forget that it is important to act in a way
that make people we are dealing with, feel valued. We may possess the basic
manners, such as saying please, thank you, and excuse me but, real courtesy
involves more thoughtful ways of showing respect.
It's important to remember that whether or not people remember what we say
or do, they do remember how we made them feel. Everyone we meet is afraid
of something, loves something, and has lost something and so, it is
necessary to always be kinder than necessary.
Remember what Emerson said, "You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you
never know how soon it will be too late."
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