Powerful Motivators

My beautician has three degrees, can you imagine that? Yet she prefers to cut hair and work nights at a second job. Or so she says. I cannot imagine anyone preferring to work two jobs, but then I’m not her.

There is a lot of information in those last words, realizing that other people might have totally different thoughts about subjects I consider simple.

Another example is my cousin’s wife. When I met her the first thing she asked was about snakes. Were there many poisonous ones around? Did they get into the house often? Not something your average urban American thinks too much about, but if you grew up in rural Thailand?

We all come from different places. Honoring that is an important part of being a decent human being, because there are bigger and deeper and hairier differences I will be asked to deal with too. A sense of humor, a little effort at understanding, and a sense of perspective are necessary when observing or dealing with what appears to be the obvious.

Remembering that people are prone to exaggerate the truth to make their point is a valid reason to check out all statements before responding. No one is exempted from being double checked. No one. If it is truth, it will hold up and it can afford to wait while you do this.

Malevolent people count on me not doing this when they have an ax to grind, or prejudice to uphold, or feel the end justifies the means. Smiling, or laying down the law are both valid ways of controlling people’s emotions. Love and fear, two powerful motivators.

Another one is religion, which of course includes both love and fear. Doing something in the name of your god or church does not necessarily make it sacrosanct to everyone else. As my father used to say, “Every atrocity in the world can be backed by some religious view somewhere.”

It is up to me to be sure I do not further anything that will harm other people