Social Question

wundayatta's avatar

Do you do anything to please someone else? How many someones else?

Asked by wundayatta (58722points) January 26th, 2012

This question is kind of a tip of an ice berg and you can take it as far as you want. I’m wondering how many people do you want to please. You can try to count, but that’s probably not possible. What is more interesting is if you could name the spheres of people who you want to please and talk about why you want to please them and what you do to please them.

For example, I want to please my nuclear family. So I work so we have resources and I spend time teaching my kids and talking to them and thinking of things that might be educational and fun for them. I do so many things for my wife I don’t even know where to begin to talk about it.

I try to please people at work by serving my customers well. I want a good reputation because I want people to think well of me and I want job security.

I do things for the neighbors, but in a pretty minimal way. I want to be liked and I don’t want trouble with them. I want the neighborhood to be a pleasant place.

I do things for my extended family. Right now, even though I’d rather not, I’ve agreed to be the MC for my father’s 80th birthday party. I have to interact with many of my parents friends to organize some story telling. I want them to think well of me, so I am trying to be organized and professional as well as I want to be clever and funny as an MC.

I care about my country because the happiness of my family and friends and neighbors depends on my country doing well. I try to be a good citizen. I vote. Sometimes I work on campaigns. Sometimes I work on community projects, although not very much.

I have friends in different communities. I want my dance friends, in particular, to like my contributions—mostly music and stories about dance—but also dancing. I’m toying with the idea of learning how to make a documentary so I can tell their story as an insider would tell it, and maybe bring us some attention and support.

I am going to a gathering for my college tonight. Not quite sure why. Maybe I’ll meet some nice people. Who knows? Maybe I’ll just have a night out with my wife.

And so on. I mean, there’s fluther—I do a lot to try to please jellies. I’m not on Facebook much, but many people are. Why? Who do you please there? Where else do you try to please people? How do you please them? Why are they important to you?

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8 Answers

EverRose11's avatar

I try to please my children and my one grandchild, I guess to some extent, Other than that I do not try to please many people anymore . I lost both of my parents suddenly after moving back to help them it was, needless to say totally unexpected, and they died 9 months of one another. The family I thought we were fell apart and I moved to California to get away from them till our Estate settles. I have lost so much compassion . I have learned through my time away from them that something seriously got broke inside of me, So Yeah just my kids and my one grand daughter.

WillWorkForChocolate's avatar

Yes, I do quite a few things to please my husband. Like growing my hair out long… and laundry.

Akua's avatar

I will do anything to please my daughter and my husband. ANYTHING. I try and work at things that will make myself happy because I’m important too. I am polite and nice with co-workers and neighbors who are polite and nice to me but I’m not going to kill myself to make them like me. Being me should be enough and I think I’m a good person. Everyone else can pretty much go to hell.

YARNLADY's avatar

In my house, it makes me happy to see my family members happy, so I do what I can to make them happy.

Sunny2's avatar

I’ll try to please almost anybody. If I like something someone is wearing, hat, sweater, whatever, I say so, whether I know them or not. I respond to people in line at the grocery or standing in line at the post office. It’s the golden rule. Do unto others. I’m not a Christian, but that’s my main ethic in life.

DaphneT's avatar

I hate the concept of ‘pleasing’ someone. Invariably it comes to mean that they are taking advantage of me is some way and can’t be bothered to thank me for helping them. I have to share Mom-care with a family member and they think they know everything and that they don’t need to treat me with respect because I don’t have their training. So for Mom’s sake I try not to ‘displease’ the family member. I’d much prefer to slap that person.

CaptainHarley's avatar

I bend over backwards for my wife, doing anything she asks because I know she won’t ask me to do things that are bad for me or against my principles. I do some things for my children and grandchildren, and a few things for my friends and extended family. I have, however, learned to do all these things for all these people not to please them, but just because I want to do them. That way, I never have to worry about whether they’re going to thank me, or reciprocate, or whatever. I just do them because I want to, or because they’re the right thing to do. : )

saint's avatar

I try to please the people I value

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