On Favour Mongers

In each and every one of our lives there are times when we must call upon others for help. Even people that are extremely independent, such as myself, have had situations that required assistance. As Homo sapiens is a social animal, this is not surprising. In fact, it is quite normal and commonplace.

However, the occasional favour request is abused by many. There are people that have become so dependent upon others that the favour requests start to occur with more frequency. Every single task suddenly requires assistance, and what used to be an occasional request now occurs far too often to warrant the term "occasional." This creates a problem.

The trend develops to a point where there are no longer any interactions that take place merely for the sake of socialization. The favour monger no longer calls to simply hang out or make plans. Every phone call from this person will inevitably contain the phrase "Can I ask you a favour?" or something quite similar. Any time this person rings the bell something will be asked. It gets to the point where others will not want to pick up the phone when the favour monger's name appears.

This is simply disgraceful. Whatever status the relationship formerly had is now lost. No longer can the two individuals be considered friends. One starts viewing the other as a tool to be used in a time of need (which suddenly seems to be all of the time) and the other starts harbouring feelings of resentment for being treated as such. The relationship, and in many cases the contact, dissolves.

So to all of the favour mongers out there, I have this to say-- start to learn some self-reliance and self-sufficiency. You do not require assistance for every single task. It may well be that a true friend is there for assistance in times of need. But it is non sequitur to believe that a friend's purpose is to help simply because he or she does help. The friend or relative does not exist in order to serve you. Contacting such people without needing a favour is actually possible. Trust me. I've contacted plenty of people on countless occasions without asking for favours. Perhaps you can do the same.