Wednesday 19 December 2007

How do we treat people? Part One

Roy sent me this which came via Colin. There are five 'lessons' in all to make us think about how we treat others. I'll post the others later...

First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:

'What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?'

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

'Absolutely,' said the professor. 'In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello.'

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

1 comment:

Jonathan said...

Perhaps people are overwhelmed by the "how do I make a million?" question to either notice or care.