A Little Respect

In these days of constant contact, social media, texting and blogging, it's easy to get inundated with constant updates and friend requests. I try to catch up on social media a few times a week, but I always make sure it's after work hours and when I have the time to spare.

Scattered among the many emails I receive each week are friend requests on social media. Usually if it's someone I know from work, school or is a relative that I'd still like to stay in contact with, I'll accept their request. If it's someone I don't know or who is a "friend of a friend" I ignore the request. There are some friend requests I've sent to others that I've never heard back from too, but it's a waste of my time and theirs to bug them about it. I know my friends and they know me, and if someone doesn't want to be my friend, I'm OK with that - I'm not going to annoy someone and beg to be their friend, because that's a tactic that really comes off as being desperate and pathetic.

Another occasion where I'd ignore a friend request is from a person that I simply don't care to interact with any more. A few weeks ago I got a social media request from a former coworker. At the time I started that job, I gradually became friends with that person. However, the work relationship soured over time because the person in question was a supervisor who, in my opinion, did next to nothing to manage a coworker who was so blatantly disruptive to the work environment that the overall morale just continued to suffer with each passing day.

When I left that organization, my confidence in that person and their associated management team was shattered. I had no respect left for that person, so when they sent me a social media invitation, I quickly ignored it. Trust and respect are earned, not given out automatically, and like anything worth attaining in life, these qualities are something that should be worked on constantly to improve and not destroy relationships.

Well, that's my two cents for this rainy April morning, so until next time, take care!