The Lost Art Of Reciprocity
Reciprocity: A mutual or cooperative interchange of favors or privileges
(from Answers.com)
As a person, I am far from perfect. I've made mistakes, believe me. But I humbly feel that I've almost always made an honest effort to participate in reciprocal relationships with people. Maybe you have too. If so, I'm glad you're reading this, because you and I are among the very few.
The Ethic of Reciprocity, also known as the Golden Rule, is among the most essential social contracts. Even small children grasp the concept. But let's be honest with ourselves. It's pretty much dead in our modern society.
We have more friends than ever, but we have never felt so alone. We date and marry with a 100-point list of expectations of our partner, but little sense of what we ourselves bring to the table. We have high-powered career "networks" full of people mainly interested in taking advantage of each other. And that's all really unfortunate. Because being reciprocal isn't that hard to do, and the benefits can be immense.
How does one be reciprocal? Say "thank you." Offer a helping hand. Publicize someone's talents to your career network. Offer to return favors, and mean it. Check in every now and then just to say "hi."
Making a small effort to start a reciprocal relationship can have tremendous rewards. Yes, it is true that you may never hear from the person again. But on the other hand, that person could change your life for the better. Reciprocity doesn't take much time or cost any money. It doesn't require a lot of effort. It only requires that you care just a little bit.
When a group of people puts forth a little bit of effort, an infinite number of fortuitous circumstances will come into being. When a group of people behave as ungrateful users, scarcely few positives will come about. I'd rather experience the former.
Thank you for reading.
