The way we treat people shows our true character. It is very easy to be at our best when we are in public or with people we consider important. Our test lies in reflecting on how we are with everyone we interact with. It may be worth asking ourselves a few questions to discover the honest answer for ourselves.
Do we give others a feeling that they are not good enough? We may behave with impatience and arrogance if we are not mindful. It is possible to carry an ego and become dismissive of people, our behaviour stemming from our sense of superiority.
Do we change our attitude towards someone we know when they become powerful, popular, or prosperous? If we are not careful, we may be shifting the basis of our relationship, which could have adverse consequences.
Do we use our position with people who work with us? Just because someone is dependent on us for their livelihood, does not give us a license to become disrespectful and take advantage.
Do we make people feel unwanted if we don’t particularly get along with them? In a larger gathering, it is possible to give vibes to someone we don’t particularly like and subtly exclude them, without doing anything wrong on the face of it.
Do we forget old relationships and change our attitude as we scale the heights of success? Sometimes we can get carried away with new relationships and may not be mindful of how we are treating those who were very much part of our life when we were struggling.
Do we think win-win even when we have the upper hand? Sometimes we may take advantage of someone’s vulnerability in our mind-set to maximise our gain.
Do we forgive those who may have hurt us? Sometimes we may be holding on to our hurts as a way of reminding those who may have wronged us, not allowing them to lift their burden of guilt and responsibility.
Most importantly, do we treat every person with the same respect and dignity? We may take the trouble to thank some people, but easily overlook the people who do things for us on a daily basis to ensure our life is well organised and comfortable.
When we ask ourselves these questions, we may realise there may not be anything we need to change, or in our moment of honesty, we may discover a trait we may want to address. People will remember us, not for what we gave them, but for the way we treated them.
(Picture – City of Florence)
From your many thought provoking reflections this one will always stand out as one of the most insightful ones.
What an outstanding and brilliant reflection Vivek!
Ever so often, especially at social gatherings, people, especially men judge you by the car you arrive in and women judge you by the designer clothes and bags and jewellery you are wearing!
Based on their attire, people often gravitate towards the well heeled, or those appearing to be rich and prosperous, based on their looks!
If one does not match up to their standards, they could be subtly snubbed at these gatherings, as is brilliantly observed by you!
People the world over have become so materialistic that basic values and true humanitarian qualities are often forgotten or compromised in the pursuit of egocentric relationships!