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Social Values & Norms
RSS FeedIs it better to be interesting or useful?
Results so far:
| Interesting | 43% | 46 votes | Total: 108 votes | |
| Useful | 57% | 62 votes |
Interesting
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Add to FavoritesMy grandmother used to tell me, "Don't just sit there. Make yourself useful as well as ornamental." She always made me laugh but I would get up and do whatever she asked me to do, of course, whether it be spreading the beds or plucking feathers off a just killed chicken. I knew there would be a good chicken dinner in store for that night.
Now, that was interesting to me. I had never considered myself ornamental and where she ever got that saying, I don't know but, she used it a lot when asking someone to do something for her. The old charm!
I am writing to the interesting side, but, I believe you can be interesting while you are being useful. Perhaps, you know a shortcut and better way of stacking dishes or beating rugs. Don't you believe you could share your way while helping do things another's? Of course, you could and if they consider your way easier and more convenient, then good for you!
And, even if they don't, at least you tried.
I have often heard that no one wants you hanging out at their house while they are working unless you have come to help or can be useful to them. Now, that can be true unless, you haven't seen them in a while and happened to be in the neighborhood and decided to stop by. More than likely, they will take a break and visit for a while, then show you what they are working on and invite you to supper. It's possible you will know what's being done and can discuss it with them at supper, maybe offering some tips. He might be working on his boat that ya'll used to party on.
And then? "Sure, I'll come in the morning and help you finish it up. No problem." You can renew your old friendship again. It could happen..
Sometimes, it is just better to have company while working on something when another person can help out. That way, you can chatter or not, and be useful at the same time.
Of course, if you are painting or writing, what help would you need other than for someone to fetch another color paint for you or if you are at the computer, maybe they would bring something for you to snack on so that you don't lose your train of thought. So far, I haven't been that lucky. But, one of these days, I'm gonna shine!
However, when someone is in the process of doing something that takes their complete attention, being interesting would be way out of line there for you would only be a bother to that person.
Interesting and useful at the same time can work. It just takes the right place at the right time.
Learn more about this author, E. V. SHAW.
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Useful
A person who is interesting and useful would be ideal and when we do come across such persons in real life, life can become very interesting. In any job, it is always the person who is useful who is in demand, because he or she can get things done. An interesting person on the other hand is just that, interesting without being useful and he will not have many takers, believe you me.
Even when you think of your own life, you will come across many times when people wanted you to be a bit more than interesting,they wanted you to be useful. So there is do doubt, it is better to be always useful rather than being interesting. When you are not useful and are only interesting, in a real life situation it can mean that an existing worker has to shoulder an additional load, because of the 'interesting' person. And in course of time, such people when in companies will be given the pink slip and shown the door. No person or company wants persons who are only interesting. They would rather have the useful personality. The latter even if not very interesting, can be made so with time and effort.
Similarly the useful person should also not be work bound alone. He or she should also know when and how to be interesting and when both traits are found in a person they then become really interesting. Persons who are interesting alone will make good contacts for journalists and help them file a good copy. That is all. But since life is much more than that, it would be better if all people trained to become both interesting and useful. Then life would be much more interesting and we all would never be in danger of being called bores by our friends.
As a teacher of college graduates, I can tell that it is necessary for a good teacher to be both useful and interesting. Useful in the sense that you teach your student well and interesting so that you are able to hold their attention in class hour which lasts for fifty minutes. When you are a combination of both you find that your students respond better to you and are eager for attend your classes. Being either interesting or useful alone does lead to problems with classroom attendance. With the attention span of the average college graduate being around 25 minutes, you will understand the necessity of being both.
It is the same with official functions also. All of us know how boring they can be. But we are forced to attend them due to official pressure. Just imagine how pleasant it would be if only we have speakers who are both useful and interesting. Useful because they will be meeting the need of our being in such a meeting in the first place and interesting because then they will be able to have our full attention and thus we will be able to hold back within us what we have learned instead of just allowing what he/she said to come in one ear and go out through the other.
Learn more about this author, Tharian Mathew.
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