“In life, you must learn to value, respect and appreciate the people who give you access into their lives be it on social media, physical contacts, phone calls or in ministry” Ferdinard Senyo Lawson
Sometimes, I think we take for granted the very people who are nice, kind-hearted, helpful and supportive to us and undermine their benevolence like doormats to walk over or thread upon.
The fact that someone has become your friend on social media or wherever you meet or have met them does not mean they have signed an abusive contract for them to be abused, undermined and disrespected.
Personally, I have met lots of great and wonderful people via social media especially on this platform called “FACEBOOK”. I have no doubt in my mind that the same thing applies to majority of you here on this great platform.
However, it is paramount we maintain due respect for each other regardless of titles, awards won, social statuses, money or fame, etc. Life is how you make it to be. If you want to be respected and valued as a fellow human being then, it is natural and normal to treat others in the same manner.
We should never forget this truth irrespective of how much people tolerate and accommodate us. They get tired eventually. People give us chances into their lives for a reason and we all know there is always a time for everything under the sun. This means we don’t know when the last chance may be for us in each other’s life.
Don’t take people for granted. No matter how much they love you, people get tired eventually. We are all given chances, but the sad thing is that, we never know when the last chance may be.
Yes, in one way or the other, I have been taken for granted, and maybe I have also taken some of you for granted. This is why it is very necessary for me to write this short article to highlight the need to respect each other for who we are in each other’s life.
One of the saddest things about it all is that, many of us are pretending to hang around with some people knowing very well how they make us feel. It seems some of us are walking on egg shells just to maintain or keep some relationship on social media or in real life.
Nobody has it all, not even the richest man or saint on the planet. We all need each other to survive in this life whether we like it or not.
Personally, I used to love some people on social media so much to the point they took advantage of that, making jokes and gestures of me. Like anything else, it is shocking and it amazes me how some individuals have become so negative and myopic in their thinking!
Few months ago, someone became my friend on Facebook. Not long after that, he started misbehaving arrogantly, self-conceited and all-knowing until one day, he in boxed me saying how he didn’t know who I was and that he was sorry for his behaviour. I didn’t mind him, but took a lesson from his misbehaviours and advised myself never to allow such person into my life again.
You see, sometimes, “silence is golden “. What he once took for granted, he is now desperately seeking for it back. I have principles I live my life by. I don’t behave like a dog; going back to eat my vomit. So, I have refused to let such person into my life again. “Once beaten, twice shy”
Although I have forgiven him, I learned to live my life without him and move forward to avoid unnecessary troubles (wahala) with him in the future.
My only advice is: we should never take the loved ones in life for granted irrespective of their age, gender, status, etc…. People have values and such values must be respected.
When people give you the chance to be in their life, you must not take them for granted because you can never tell when the last chance could be.
Please;
- Let’s learn to cherish everyone in our lives
- We must be ready to share knowledge and information with each other without fear or intimidation.
- Embrace and be receptive to each other’s ideas
- We must be prepared to give and receive constructive feedback from one another without feeling superior over each other.
- Let’s value, respect, appreciate and embrace each other’s differences but not to take others for a ride.
- Remember that, whoever you undermined or devalued will surely exit your life.
Above all, let us not forget that the key to treating people with respect is to treat them as we would like to be treated ourselves. People will always be people and it is beneficial to know what and how to deal with difficult people on social media especially. Having an understanding of each other will help to embrace, respect and value one another.
Good luck and shalom
