A Method To One's Generosity

I once had a friend who was an extremely hard worker and skilled professional. She was dedicated to her job and often went above and beyond what was expected of her. After working there for a few years, she approached her boss for a raise … something which she should have received prior to when she asked… after all, she certainly deserved it. After weeks of no affirmative response, she again humbled herself to ask a second time. Shortly after, her boss relented and gave her a small raise but not without stating …

“Now you are not going to leave me are you?”

Now if I had been standing there witnessing his assault of guilt, I would have responded …

“Hey pal … You gave her that raise not as an incentive to indentured servitude … you gave her that raise because she was worth it … You gave it to her because she deserved it … you most certainly didn’t give it to her to tie her down because if you wanted to do that then you should have locked her into a well paid contract!”

At least I would have liked to have said that!

Why is it that whenever somebody does something for someone, they expected reparation? Why can’t people do deserving things for others without making them feel indentured afterwards? Making people feel guilty for being on the receiving end has been a tool of persuasion since the dawn of man but that doesn’t make it right!

I once had another friend whose boss gave him the day off simply because he had worked hard all month … Now which boss would you rather have?

For a change, do something for someone not because you want something in return but because they deserve it.