Imagine walking into a place to have lunch and upon leaving, someone has assigned themselves the role of washing your already clean car, at no cost. Please note that this is done at no extra cost, it is not a customer service gesture and the person who has done it is not even an employee at that particular restaurant. What kind of thoughts would run through your mind?
This is an experience that a good friend encountered. The person who had washed her car stared at her in the face and told her he did not expect any payments for the service. Also on a sad note, he had broken one of her car wipers. Such a confusing situation.
Why would one want to make experiments on anyone’s property in the first place? This situation reminded me of some smart street beggars who walk to cars in traffic and pretend to dust them upon which one offers a tip or two for the service. While the latter can be a smart way to make money as opposed to lazily begging for it, the former can seem very suspicious.
In an era where security is increasingly becoming an issue, having such an offer can be a point of overall concern. I mean, do people still offer such services for free? So in her state of shock she ended up taking matters to the concerned authorities at the restaurant. In the end, what would have been a seemingly innocent kind gesture turned into a serious security case.
What does this say about our state of affairs today? It is evident that gone are the days when we trusted each other well enough to appreciate the good in being kind. Today, one can give a ride to a stranger by the roadside and the next thing, they have been robbed of all their property or worse, kidnapped. One can wash another’s car and they are immediately suspected of wrong motives. It is just hard to be kind or appreciate that goodwill.
Many have become strangers to one another because like it is commonly said today, sometimes the people that one claims to know so well are the ones that hurt them most in the end.
And do we see some of the good old days coming back to life? We hope so because let’s face it life is best lived simple, with less worry but more good deeds for one another. We hope that one day, we can drive back home caring less about the boda boda behind us, freely take an evening walk in the neighbourhood, help one another without getting suspicious.
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