Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Thanks and Sorry

Probably the first thing that someone who just steps in to my unexpendable acquaintance circle (from what I see, there is no word called 'inexpendable' correct me if am wrong) of friends knows is that I hate 'apologies and thanks' from them.

May be I should address it now.

Common courtesies are very important as you breathe your way out. A small act of appreciation or acknowledgement makes a world of difference to a lot of people. When you get to do a favor and in response you hear a 'thanks', it makes you feel good. Certainly! It does motivate you to help people more. So it is, when it comes to apologies! If there is a situation that warrants an apology, it amazingly makes you feel a little better than it is when left unsaid...

From my perspective, when I thought of these things a little deeper, I understood that it goes well only with macroscopic personalities. I feel completely connected to these common courtesies only with people like my boss, my colleagues, bearers or any new stranger for that matter. But, when it comes to someone I know well, say beyond my unexpendable acquaintance circle, I feel disconnected. I feel awful to hear those 'thanks and apologies' from the people I am connected to, even with slightest possible emotional way.

Now, how would they know that I don't like it? I scream! I try to script it in to their brain cells and make sure that I hate to hear those from them, and also try and make them understand not to expect them from me. I don't know for sure, but it appears to me that most of the people that I know, take this as a compliment, that me 'not expecting a thanks and apologies' and vice versa. Or atleast I will make sure it is something that I expect and give with only a few people. I may sound a little 'attitude'ious, but nevertheless I need to complete the thought transfer.

I don't want to take anything away from the best parts of common courtesies. As I said earlier, being courteous is very important. But, with whom and to what extent is the question. When I looked up Merriam-Webster for the synonyms of courteous it gave me 'marked by respect for and consideration of others'. A sensible human being behaves with respect and consideration to his/her fellow beings. Yes! completely understandable! But when you term someone as your friend haven't you already had those inscribed! The level of consideration and respect increases as we aggregate in to a relationship. Especially, with something involves your true self. So as we propagate towards something like that, don't you want to differentiate it from what we do with common people? The acts of consideration and respect with friends is not by thanking or apologizing to them, is by understanding and relating to them.

Years ago, I was surviving through a viral fever week. I was so weak and was not even able to stand-up. No source of energy was fed in, what I ate was out in a jiffy through the same way. Sweet mother was trying to get rid of it, by forcing some energy in to me through food. As I said, she failed, I messed up the place and I saw her cleaning it. Helplessly, I couldn't do a thing. I said 'I am sorry ma'. And obviously, the response was in a burning look which said it all. I messed up more with those words than by my intestine reaction. That's the last time, I apologized/thanked her for something trivial.

If you hate to hear/say thanks and apologies to your family now and then, so it is with friends and other important people!

Relationships are beautiful, straining and strengthening it is in your own way of handling. There are 'no duties' and nothing like 'I am supposed to do this' when it comes to relationships. There is no reason behind whatever we do for friends and other important people. We just do it. No expectations and no measuring gauges. Because for some reason, it makes you feel good when you do the right thing, by being there for someone when they need you. It's a privilege you give to those kinds of relationships. And according to me, thanking and apologizing, mocks the importance that I give to those relationships!

'Thanks and Sorry' - I was thinking if I should delete those words from the dictionary of friends or place it marked 'should be used at extreme conditions'. I opted for the latter. So, according to me, Thanks and Apologies are marked as the ones with high power. Never use it with friends!

If (u.eq.friend) then
thanks.and.sorry = sin
end (not endif)

28 comments:

Arvind M Venugopal said...

hey barath... very nice post... i agree with you, although i have a word of caution to give: in order to reach people and communicate, sometimes its not only the message we convey but also the way in which we do, will determine whether it actually reaches them with the right intent and tone...

one of the times when the importance of having the right expressive means was taught to me was by an uncle of mine, who pointed out the way in which i was trying to communicate with my brothers on a few things... he said, although my intent was good, my way of expression is not in the way it should be, and that was the only reason why those pieces of communication were never received... with love, comes everything...

there have been a few times, especially after i've moved to the u.s., that my mom has conveyed a formal feeling to me over the phone, be it a sorry or a thanks... and at those times i've felt a pinch of what you've exactly described... however, it is very important to not jump on it immediately and convey a message against it, but let the expression take its natural course...

for all that we are concerned about, we can merely do things but not make others do what we personally believe in or not believe in...

cheers!!!

BB said...

@ Arvind

I know u will like it!

Ofcourse the way you communicate is mroe important when u want to convey something sensible!

We cant reformat people's behavior...agreed...but we can communicate our thought process...and see how the react to it....may be we wil learn something new!

Unknown said...

True Barath! We don't expect a thanks & a sorry in some relationships. But when we do use it with in these relationships we REALLY MEAN IT! .... ALWAYS!

Wat say?
Nice post!

Rashmi

BB said...

@ Rashmi

Ofcourse we do!

Thats why its suggested to be a high power word....and I have not deleted it from the dictionary!

BB said...

@ Faisal

Yes...it is hard to follow it...but sometimes...ir persistence prevails...it pays off...they will understand...atleast thats what I do and as I said it works most of the time!

Jyothsana Chandramohan said...

Are you suggesting that we take the people we are close to/ love, for granted?

BB said...

@ Jsea

Yes ...in a nutshell you can tell that!

Soumya said...

what to do if u really feel sorry... if u have really hurt ur near and dear ones... if u have really done some mistakes...there is no point burning urself from inside... i think its better to admit and say sorry and ask for punishment or forgiveness...

BB said...

@ soumya

As i said...you just done delete it....you say it sometimes...when you r really really hurt! at that time..when u say it...they know...how hard it is it for you...becos you dont say it quite often!

gP said...

Happy holidays bro!

BB said...

@ Hiren

Oh! yeah perfect quote to justify small courtesies! Welcome to the air that I share in blogosphere! :)

Jyothsana Chandramohan said...

hmmmm....tht reminds me, you owe me a thank-you!

BB said...

@ jsea

Now that you have asked for it! I might as well thank you for it ;)

Jyothsana Chandramohan said...

Thank-you for that!

Jyothsana Chandramohan said...

"Relationships are beautiful, straining and strengthening it is in your own way of handling.... No expectations and no measuring gauges."

Well-worded!
Can I quote this on my blog?

Jyothsana Chandramohan said...

This is unarguably one of your best posts.

BB said...

@ J-sea

Appreciate your acknowledgement ;)

yes you can use it :)

Jyothsana Chandramohan said...

Thank-you!

(Three thank yous on count in this post!)

BB said...

@Jsea

oh yeah!?

I lost count :)

Jyothsana Chandramohan said...

J SEA said...
Are you suggesting that we take the people we are close to/ love, for granted?

Barath said...
@ Jsea

Yes ...in a nutshell you can tell that!

Jyothsana Chandramohan said...

Rem tht?
Ahem-ahem!
A point in favour of my "Proportionality Relationship- Love is proportional to hatred".
You agree with that now????

BB said...

@ Jsea

How? Impossible! I can never agree that you can hate someone in your life! how could that be possible!...especially when u know that you have grown up!

Jyothsana Chandramohan said...

Possible!
Hatred sometimes is not lack of love.
Dont you take people close to you for granted? Dont you hurt them more than people you dont know?
Hatred, in miniscule and unidentified.
"Hate" is a sin, agree. But it is very natural too.However old man is, he is plagued by these feelings.
But his overcoming these only is a sign of whether he has really "grown-up" , as you put it.

Jyothsana Chandramohan said...

Only when you can love, you can hate! Funny it sounds, I know.

In a very subtle way, I found this in one of Dostoyevsky's works and I quote a few lines:

"I am offending you, of course," he went on, as though beside himself. "This must really be what they call passion. . . . "

"It's just the same whether you are there or not, wherever you may be you are always before me. I know, too, that I can hate you intensely, more than I can love you."

Jyothsana Chandramohan said...

What happened?
A quote in my favor....!
muhahhhahhha

BB said...

@ Jsea

Nice quote!

But I dont agree!

"Dont you take people close to you for granted? Dont you hurt them more than people you dont know?"

Yes ofcourse! Thats truly becos of expectations that doesnt have nything to do with love or hate!

"I know, too, that I can hate you intensely, more than I can love you"

if you see it more clearly its unbounded love....not hatred...its jus misunderstood that way!

eitherway..iam with the "you cant hate a person u liked/loved" clan

Jyothsana Chandramohan said...

Welcome aboard the clan!

Annd rather than use the word misunderstood, use understood!

BB said...

@ jsea

It was not a mistake!