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> "I try to be right with people," Vollmer explains, saying he has always kept a lesson he received from his father: "If anybody does anything for you, helps yo
by mmsimanga 7y ago
> "I try to be right with people," Vollmer explains, saying he has always kept a lesson he received from his father: "If anybody does anything for you, helps you in any way, be sure and say thank you."
> "And I remembered that when I grew up," he adds. "Maybe I might go overboard sometime in saying thank you, but I assure you, that's very important. And my dad's the one that put me straight on that."
That's similar advice to what my mother always told me. For me the unspoken part of this advice is that it leads to you not expecting much from people. Not in a bad way, in the way that everyone has their own life and problems. They wake up in the morning to tackle their own life and problems and when they do take the time to do something for you be grateful because the do it by choice. Thanking people was a big part of African life accompanied by gestures such as clapping hands in a particular way and using poetic language to thank person. Seems to be a dying practice. People seem to complain more about things people haven't done for them.
- phaemon 7y agoWhere in Africa? And what was the custom? I'm always interested in customs from different places.
- mmsimanga 7y agoI am from Zimbabwe, the area around the Victoria Falls. I have lived in South Africa for the last 15 years though. By way of example say my brother in law gives my mother a present or does something for her. Typically my mother will accept the gift and then after supper when the whole family is seated she will thank my brother in law in front of everyone in our family. It is not uncommon to have the present if is is a present shown to everyone. The point here is to ensure that the whole family is aware of this good deed my brother in law has done. She will thank him then ask the rest of us to help her thank him. The rest of us will also thank him. The point being here we all acknowledge and see what you have done for our mother. The thanking itself can get poetic. Last year I delivered some money sent to some rural aunts of mine by cousin working in the US (about US$ 20 each) . I made a video of each one of them saying thank you. One of the videos ended up being close to five minutes and I had to ask my aunt to stop because the file was going to be too big to send. Hope that gives idea of the old culture of thanking.
- WalterBright 7y agoThis sounds really nice. Thank you for posting it!
- phaemon 7y agoYes, thank you for sharing.