The Problem with People is That Their Human

One of the reasons why life seems so unfair is that we have expectations that are too high. Don’t label me a cynic or pessimist yet. We expect our boss to make promotions in a way that is completely rational in our eyes. We expect that, if we do our work well, everyone will always treat us well. We expect our subordinates, coworkers, and supervisors to be respectful and civil all the time. Basically, we expect everyone in the workplace to be perfect. You may be saying, “no, I don’t expect them to be perfect. But it’d be nice if they were reasonable.” But what you’re saying is that you’d like them to be reasonable all the time. In a sense, perfectly reasonable.

The problem is that the people around you are human. If you were surrounded by robots, you might not have to deal with people who act unreasonably, with disrespect or incivility. Robots don’t backstab you. They don’t make decisions based on their own ambitions or whims. If you worked only with robots, life might be fairer.

Sure, I’m joking to a great extent. But people can never live up to our expectations because they are human. We create an illusion of how things should be, but imperfect humanity never makes it all the way to “should be.”

Don’t read this and be depressed all weekend about how pitiful we all are. Don’t let this lead to cynicism or pessimism. Instead, be a realist. Know that people do good things, but underneath everything, we’re all sinners in need of a savior. It might help to remember times when you weren’t reasonable or fair toward someone else. Pray for the people around you. And extend them the same mercy when they mess up that God extends to you.