I once wrote about how mean my boss at work, usually is to people who give him the opportunity to be. Monday meetings are opportunities for him to ridicule or shame anyone he feels like, in their absence. He's someone that derives pleasure in speaking ill of people just because he's superior. I find that behaviour repulsive and although I enjoy being around so many others at that place, it makes me want to be done with this internship, just so I can stay away from toxic people like him.
It's saddening that people with characters like his exist in society, and succeed most times, in making others feel less of themselves. As inhabitants, we all have our contributions to society, whether good or bad. We perform so many actions daily, and although most of them might be for our personal gain, there's some of them that end up being contributions to society.
One's contribution to society could be a thoughtful compliment to a stranger who is about to walk past you on the road. It could be helping little kids cross the road. It could be taking your trash back home so you dispose it appropriately, thereby avoiding litter. In every positive contribution to society, intentionality and thoughtfulness are it's drivers. One aspect I know I'm making so much effort to give back to society, is in my relationship with people.
I love when people feel good about themselves and when I get an opportunity to be the driving force, I grab it. My contribution to society, as little as they are, are aimed at making people have something that made them smile, or feel better throughout their day. For instance, I could be having conversations with a group of people and one person is interrupted. When I notice, I'll bring the person back to the spotlight. It could be a simple 'You were saying something about this' but that always seems to do the job. Whoever interrupted might not have done so intentionally but it still left the initial speaker feeling left out.
This is something I like doing a lot because I enjoy being a listener. Nobody deserves to go home with their opinions unheard so even if their opinion wasn't accepted, they at least got to air it. I try my best to make this possible with people around me. Since my contribution to society revolves around people, it's something I make conscious effort to incorporate into my daily routine. Complimenting a stranger's outfit on the road, smiling at people when their eyes meet mine, displaying the needed interest when a friend is retelling a story I've heard countless times, just so they retain their initial excitement, saying 'Thank you' when getting down from commercial rides. These are very little things but they make me happy doing them.
Our giving back to society don't always have to be big demonstrations of concern, before they make an impact. It could also be in the little things which brightens up the day of the person's next to us. So, let's keep loving, keep living and keep cohabiting in niceness.
Thanks for reading.
Image is mine.