Word of the Week #406:
So, I don’t always understand humans, right?
One of the things I tend to struggle with during my interactions is that I cannot seem to predict human behaviour. What do people want? What do people really mean by what they say? If I can’t predict that, I wouldn’t know what to do and how to prepare, right?
Yes, I tend to not know what to do and therefore need to prepare to interact with humans. Why am I like this? I suppose that’s a discussion for another time.
More importantly, in situations of such unpredictability, there can sometimes be a temptation to expect the worst from everything and everyone around us. I’m sure we have all felt that way now and then and have also seen others feel that way. But that would be a folly, would it not?
As often as I may have been surprised by random unkindness or indifference, I have also seen kindness that was just as random. And while I cannot comment on the frequencies, as that would be fraught with biases, I will say that kindness has always felt more impactful to me.
Just yesterday, I went into my physiotherapy clinic for a new injury to my forearm. Just showed up without an appointment or anything, and everyone there was so happy to see me! I was a little taken aback, to be honest.
The physical exam… hurt like nothing ever before. Like, damn! Even the physio was surprised, since I tend to not react much to pain. Turns out, it was a muscle strain, probably grade 2.
They then treated me for like an hour. That hurt too, but I was feeling a little better at the end of it all. After that, they showed me a few exercises that should help me rehab the injury, and we discussed the expected timeline and precautions to be taken.
As I was leaving, I asked them about the bill, and they said, “Eh, don’t worry about it.”
What?
Why?
I was confused.
They just talked to me for another couple minutes before leaving for their lunch.
And as I walked away, I was trying to process the entire session. In some ways, I still am.
What should we expect from the people around us?
We can’t leave our lives assuming everyone would be kind to us. Nor can we assume everyone to be unkind.
“To believe all men honest is folly. To believe none is something worse.”
— John Adams
What, then, would be the right way to live our lives?
The only person of whom I need to know what to expect is myself. I expect myself to be kind and considerate. Gracious in others’ kindness and their unkindness.
A tall ask, perhaps, but I like having high expectations of myself.
