I do not understand people
….who ask me to get freebies from the people I interview as part of my job.
….who think I am stupid because I do not bill my company for each and every phone call I make, in the name of work.
….who think the OH is dumb as he insists on ticking off the personal calls he has made, from the itemised bill that he receives for his company-allotted phone, and asks his office to deduct that amount from his salary.
….who think I am a fool to give my full time to work even when I am working from home. I can laze around a bit, meet friends, eat, sleep and make merry for at least half the time, right?
….who think I am an idiot to ask my maid to skip mopping the floor for a day, as she is sick.
….when a realistic deadline at work not met hurts me internally, not just because of the possibility that I might be sacked, but because I have not achieved it in the time that I should have.
According to these people, I do not know how to take advantage of my position in life.
How does that make me different from the ‘babus’, whom they do not take even a second to blame for demanding outright that their palms be greased? He is also ‘taking advantage of his position in life’, right?
I get weird looks when I tell them that I do not want such things on my conscience. ‘Are you Raja Harishchandra?’ – pat comes the next question. ‘Life will teach you to change, to do certain things for your benefit,’ I am told.
I give up explaining.
Sach hai duniyawalon ke hum hain anari…. Sigh!
PS: This is more a rant out of frustration than an attempt to garner praise for myself and the OH for being extra-sincere and extra-honest. I hope it is taken in the same way.
The Girl Next Door 
I get weird looks from people just for taking the trouble to walk all the way to a dustbin at the railway station. How stupid not to just flick trash and the tracks, apparently! I sometimes wonder, who are actually the clever ones?
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@Sumitra
Oh, yes, I go through that, too. I religiously carry trash to the dustbins or back home so that I can dispose of it properly. And I do get strange looks for that. 😦
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as i journalist, I know tns of people who’ve walked away with expensive gifts — silk saris, jeans, accessories, even semi-precious stuff!…somehow the idea of taking money to write about someone doesn’t sit well with me. The most I will take is something personalised and inexpensive…so the maximum I have accepted is a homemade chocolate or a handmade bookmark, which the giver actually put effort into making (truth be told, when it’s something the giver made, I feel bad about refusing but that’s me!) The rest, I think is just bribe!
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@Chindi Chitranna
Yes, I have heard of such people, too.
If it is a cup of coffee or tea or a sample that the interviewee is offering, I take it – provided he/she offers it on his own. I think the rest is bribe, too.
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Thats a real great work from you!! 🙂 🙂 some people think that being some position gives some luxury!!
They forgot somebody is paying for us and we should be true enough for our job. Mostly I do my job till I get satisfied 🙂
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@Kanagu
Exactly. You should do your job till YOU are satisfied. That’s the deal.
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That is quite a list 🙂
When I was a teenager, I was told ” you are too young to understand things “. And now, when I have been past the teens for almost a decade, I am told ” you are not practical “. Basically there is no end to this traditional bits of wisdom, which is treachorously flexible. So much for the free-servings-of-wisdom.
I read this some psychology book, that people pursuade others around them to engage in the misdeeds they do- to justify themselves with a “majority” argument 🙂 Makes sense ?
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@Tatsat
Makes a whole load of sense, Tatsat. I don’t want to make that kind of (non)sense, though. 😦
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Ahh well… I am quite sure you won’t 🙂
Ekla cholo re is the song for you then…
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@Tatsat
I LOVE that song… absolutely adore it… for obvious reasons. 🙂
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Like my post the other day on wondering why people think something that they don’t do and others do, automatically become laughable, on this post too I feel the same…why one has to comment on the way of life, thinking and priorities of others ?
such people really need to be told loud and clear about the age old adage Live and let live
but sigh, the mentality that is strongly inculcated in the society is “poke nose in everyone else’s matters” !
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@Scribby
Exactly. In India, someone’s life seems to be everyone’s life. Everyone is free to want to steer it in the direction that they want to. Sigh!
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But these are the very people who will go in in length about corruption in the country, the screwed up system and what not? Talk of hypocrisy!
I hadve this uncle who was working in a bank. He held a top position in the bank. His family made all the important , unimportant calls on his mobile because the bank paid the bill. Sadly they didn’t see anything wrong with it!
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@Methrebel
I know. That’s what gets me too. 😦
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There was really no need for the PS 🙂 and please let go of these stupid thoughts. What I think is that such people don’t really care about things that matter. So ignore and move on.
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@Jas
Yep, I try to, most of the times.
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Atleast points 1-4 from your six are almost taken for granted in some countries outside ours. Infact, I have met people who can’t understand the notion of ‘not working’ if you work from home. They are ‘unable’ to understand that. And it is only in our wonderful country which lays claim to morals/traditions higher than elsewhere, that such people are in a woeful minority !
Sathej
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@Sathej
I totally understand. I so know what you mean!
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ignore ignore ignore.
many hugs.
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@Titaxy
Thank you! 🙂
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kuch toh log kahenge,
logon ka kaam hai kehna
🙂
Until you know what you are doing is right, why to even dwell on such questions?
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@Visha
I don’t usually dwell on these questions. It’s just that sometimes, these people get my goat.
PS: That’s one of my favourite songs. I marofy that dialogue whenever someone is upset over something that some ‘well-wisher from the society’ has told him/her.
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How can our thoughts be so synchronized.. ?!? I too face this once in a while.. and I totally agree with you on this. There is nothing we can do rather than ignoring these people.
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@Greenboochi
Yes. I try to do that most of the times.
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Pay them a deaf year I say. On the topic of filing tax this year, I was told what is the need. Nobody is gonna check that. But to me it is about ethics. I very well abide by what I believe and pay no heed to these people. and All things you mentioned are the way we are suppose to do.
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*ear * Sorry for the typo.
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@BlueMist
I know. That’s what I do most of the times. Sometimes, this advice gets my goat, though. Those are the times I rant. 🙂
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🙂
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@BlueMist
🙂
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TGND 🙂
That PS – hehehehehe. It hardly looks like you are garnering praise and all. 🙂
You and your OH are being what parents and teachers teach children to be 🙂 Unfortunately, not many recognise that it is something to be proud of. What had to be commonplace with few exceptions has become the exception. Am not denying that there are honest people who live their lives nice and tall. There are such people. ofcourse 🙂 Then there are some who either gave in to the kind of advice that they give freely or learnt lessons the wrong way and made some wrong choices. Either ways, the solution is simple – Be really proud for all the rightfulness you have in you for that makes you happy and content with yourself 🙂
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@Kismi
I know. We try to be happy about what we are, but then such things get to our head sometimes.
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Welcome to my world mam, I just wrote myself when will I learn to be a crook..
And I know exactly what you mean by billing the company , I bought a bottle of milk for 85p now the lady asked why am I not billing, I will probably end up spending more , printer ink, paper , postage for 85p 🙂
People are crafty and that how they live , I need to take some tuition in how to rip off others and be scheming and crafty and what not…
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@Bikram
I know that’s how a lot of people think, but I do not want to think like that. It just frustrates me when these people offer me advice for free.
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hmmm.. may be peoples reaction is more like they are jealous, and dont know how to be honest like you.. or they are just giving an excuse for them not being honest.. :)..
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@Ashreyamom
I don’t think jealousy is the case here. I think half of the people who tell me this don’t think in depth of what it implies. The other half are so crafty that they don’t even know there is an alternative way of living.
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And you know what, ask such people about the fight against corruption and they will whole heartedly support it. It seems that introspection can be killed very easily.
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@Amit
Exactly. It amazes me how people think so much at a surface level, without really thinking.
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Sadly there are people around who have no conscience, and expect others to be like them. Sadly they even harrass people with weird comments.
Isn’t it strange that when people should be telling eachother to not to do bad stuff it happens the other way round?
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@Smita
I know. The same people who teach lessons of morality to kids tell them to be crafty when they grow up.
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LOL on the PS
If you read it from a third person’s point of view, it definitely looks like a rant and not praise ..so you can as well NOT write the PS 🙂
I can so totally understand what you are feeling..but unfortunately, there are very few people like you and OH in the world 😦
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@R’s Mom
LOL. OK, if you say so. 🙂 I didn’t want to take any chances.
There are still people who think like me and the OH, too, RM. Only that the world keeps discouraging us.
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i can relate to your rants TGND; but tell you what our innate goodness makes us what we are and aren’t we proud of that ? Hugs
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@Priya Sreeram
Hugs right back! 🙂
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I am totally with you on this. I too have come across such people 😦 Sigh!
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@Lifesong
Sigh!
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