Lessons for a father - Was that really a favor?

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"Can you do me a favor?", he asked.

"Sure, but in return I would need you to...", I replied.

Do you think whatever was done was indeed what was asked for? The person asked for a favor; he asked me to commit a deed for him. Did I do that? I don't think so. What I did, however, was committed myself to a transaction.

Every action, word or thought seems to have an associated cost. How do we move away from this very transactional way of living to one that allows us to treat each other, not as a prospective sale opportunity, but as an opportunity to bond and be human?

We have trained ourselves to look for profit wherever we can, haven't we?. So how would doing something with no prospect of profitability suit our core need? The order of the day might be to change the core need itself to one that builds relationships and looks at that very human thing as having the highest value.

I have always believed that we fail when we expect. Our intention should be to always act as givers with no intention of receiving anything back for what we do.

Here is my reply then to the question asked in the beginning:

"Sure. I will do anything and everything I can to help.".