Have you ever wondered about people who supposed to serve you? Have you ever thought about those who are supposed to represent you? Have you ever considered the ones who are supposed to be there on your behalf for the best of your welfare?
By that, I mean, the thinking surely is that you are the main one in the situation. You are the recipient, the beneficiary and the one to be pleased. Your approval should be the end goal of those who fit those described above. So in some sense, without it having to be oppressive or demeaning, the balance between the two parties should see you in the upper position and those who serve in a lower position. After all, it should make sense that the best place to serve is when you understand.
Yet think about how that dynamic can often be turned on its head. You go to someone who is supposed to be serving you and it ends up being more a case of you serving them. Not only are you paying them, but they are giving all manner of dictation and orders that makes it look as though you’re more there for them than they are there for you. In as much as they can have the language to suitably massage your ego to give you the impression it is all about you, in reality they manipulate things so that really you are more at their beck and call for their good pleasure. Whatever initial requirement you had might be met to some degree, but the cost of that in more ways than financial could leave you scratching your head in terms of if you really got what you wanted. There’ll be little time to think about things, though, because soon you’ll have another need that requires someone else’s service and as you’re not careful you’ll find yourself in the same trap again.
It’s particular cunning how those who suggest they’re offering you something of benefit to you soon have you right where they want you. You get the item or service and can easily be trapped into thinking you need the service so you’ll need their expertise about the service and you’ll be at their whim having to do things according to their terms and conditions even though it’s apparently meant to be benefiting you. Such is your dependence on things, you barely remember that you may not even need it as much as you thought and the cost of staying in that cycle of dependency is truly not benefiting you at all.
Some people simply accept that. They see it as it being the norm and so it’s about just accepting things the way they are. As if serving in the best interests of someone or representing someone and seeking their welfare should be a bonus rather than the fundamental element of the offer in the first place.
There might be an alternative, though. There could be another way of experiencing life that does not leave you in the grip of someone else who is more interested in draining you than truly serving you. It would, however require a radical change of mind …
(Photo by Nazar Strutynsky on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 