This will probably be the most spontaneous posting I have done so far on my blog. Like the ghost of an unhappy dead person, one question has been pursuing me since I could think... What stops people from showing respect to everyone they meet?
I have a somewhat small corpulence (just about 5ft) and 52kg, and needless to say I have been victim of displays of disrespect and complete lack of selfless courtesy many times than I can bother to count. Usually, I take pleasure in seeing the look on the faces of people who meet me for the first time after having heard of me, or spoken with me on the phone. Why do people think that when you have a seemingly 'big' title, professionally, it should be accompanied by an imposing personality? To be unfairly modest to myself, I tend to be quiet, inconspicuous and humble, and at times people tend to take this to mean weakness, or people try to exploit the situation. I have had to tell a few people off as well (trust my words can sharper than a sword), when they breached the boundary and got to my rather quiet nerves.
You may wonder what has prompted this creativity today. It is because of what happened earlier today that I feel I should get off my chest. This morning, my hubby drove me to work, and we parked as usual in the space reserved for staff. A female colleague came and parked besides us and told the guard to ask us to leave that space. The guard, not recognising me informed us the lot was for staff only, and I informed him I was staff. So we shut the doors and were walking towards the office entrance when the colleague practically jumped out of her car and asked us to stop. We did, and she came shouting that we shouldn't park there because it is space for staff, and so we should go and drive out. The guards were telling her I am staff, but she was just not listening. I told her so myself but she was busy 'barking' and informed me I was not a staff member. So I asked her politely if she doesn't know me, and she said she doesn't. So I called my name and then she 'recognised' me. How embarrassing in front of guards! She apologised and apologised again but the damage had already been done - to her.
A few questions have been going through my mind. Is it because we were not driving a car as plush as hers? Is she carrying a burden from somewhere and just couldn't resist exposing her bad manners at the first chance? Even if we were visitors, is that how to address another human being? If she had an issue with someone parking there, why couldn’t she inform the appropriate persons and let everyone do his/her job? Why can't people just respect, just be courteous to anyone they meet, irrespective of looks or possessions? Must we be nice and polite only to people we think are of our 'class' or people we have particular interests in? There are as many questions as there are impolite people on earth... and no satisfactory answers.
Please be nice to people. Even when hurt, try to keep the tone down... you will learn a lot more that way than shouting without listening to others, just to end up being the fool.
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6 comments:
This reminds me of a similar encounter I had with a fellow colleaque and so called "big director".He claimed and actually told the guards, I had packed my car too close to the space reserved for him "Monsieur le Directeur". In fact he instructed the guards to send me to his office once I showed up to get the car.I remember the guard rushing towards me to pass on the "director's instruction".Perhaps I was rude not to have acted accordingly, guess I figured it was so trivial. So I drove off .This was to become a major issue indeed! First "he" called on the phone to scold at me and secondly he reported the matter to my hierachy. When I was questioned and asked to go and make ammends, I thought that was crazy! And crazy indeed it sounded. There are more important things to worry about than where a staff ought to pack his/her car. That's what some people fail to realise.
Excellent posting, my friend, excellent!!!
Congratulations!!!!!
Thanks Mabs for sharing that experience with me. It hurts to experience such disrespect. Yours was even from a senior colleague, although that is no excuse. Mine was from a junior colleague... making it worse. Anyway, na so life dey...
And David, thank you for thinking the posting is excellent. Writing helps dessipate some of the frustration one feels at such moments.
I can just say: do not worry about such people. It is a pity. Still keep your heart safe and stay humble as possible.
I know you are a good person
Thx my dear Tchamatou.
Ah, my dear little sis. I can imagine. Who would think, least of all accept that a mere carpenter's son was the long awaited Messiah, prophesied by Isaiah and preached by John the Baptist?
Don't you worry. That's part of the challenges we meet in life. What matters is how you overcome it.
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