A True Story, by Paul Villard was such a sweet story to read. The relationship that the operator and the little boy had, in relation to cost and rewards, is an interesting one. For Sally the rewards of the relationship were that she was able to talk to and help young Paul. For Paul, the rewards were that he was able to get help with various different issues and he had someone that he could talk to. The rewards that each of them received significantly out weighed any cost, such as time, that may have been present. It was significant to me that while the two had never even met each other, or seen each other in person, they were still able to develop something of a relationship and bond, and they benefited from their time spent talking to one another.
Another important aspect that I think this story illustrates is that something that may be a reward for one person may be not be considered a reward by someone else. For the operator, listening to Paul and helping him was a reward. It was a reward for her because, as she explained to him later, she had never had children to help and love. Someone else in her position may not have considered the young boys calls as a reward. In fact others may have considered his calls as a nuisance and refused to listen to him. Paul continued to call Sally because he continued to receive “rewards” by talking to her. Another young child may not have continued to call Sally for help, but because Sally was able to help Paul and listened to him he kept calling.
Having discussed the topic of costs and rewards in class, and then reading this story has really made me stop and think about my own relationships and the costs and rewards that I get from them. The relationship that I have with my parents was interesting for me to think about. I started thinking about all the rewards that I receive from them, and there are lots. They have helped me get through school, they make sure I have food to eat, and a roof over my head. There are also many rewards that I get from them that are non-tangible. For example, they raised me as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and that has blessed my life to an immeasurable extent. My mom spent many hours reading to me when I was young and that is a reward that was significant enough for me that it will stick with me for the rest of my life. After thinking about the many rewards I receive from my parents, I tried to think about what rewards there are for them because of our relationship…. I’m just glad they still at least act like they care about me, because I could not think of many things that could be considered rewards. J I feel like I probably take a lot more from them than I give back. However, I know that there must be some rewards there of some sort because they haven’t tried to get rid of me yet, at least I don’t think they have…. In any case, I have decided that I am going to try to step it up on my end and make sure that my parents are getting some semblance of compensation from our relationship.
This idea of different people getting different rewards and having different costs in a relationship is fascinating to me. With all of the billions of people in the world it is fascinating to think that each individual has their own unique personality and gets a different level of reward and cost from every different relationship they are in. And back to the story that we read, it is amazing that even people who are completely opposite and at different stages of life can benefit from relationships with each other. And in fact, I would argue that we as humans need to have a diversity of relationships and need the rewards that come from having a diversity of relationships with a diversity of people. Some of the most important relationships that I have had in my life have been with people who are at completely different stages of life than me. There are so many rewards to be gained and lessons to be learned from people at different stages of life, or from people whose lives have included experiences that we have not experienced.
This topic has helped open a new awareness in me and has encouraged me to make some changes in my paradigm and the way that I view my relationships with those around me. I am going to strive to look for rewards and learning experiences in my relationships, and to recognize that while I may not realize it, my interactions with someone else may be helping them too.
