My brother worked as a petrol attendant for many years and he fed my family with the little money he got so I always leave a bigger tip than I should when I stop at a garage… [for] petrol.
I was at a garage recently and being pleasant to the attendants when a guy my age drove up and ordered the attendant to [put in] R200 petrol. He turned back to his cellphone and also demanded that his tyre pressure be checked and his water and oil. When the attendant came up to his window to ask if he was paying with a card or cash, the guy just shoved money at the attendant and drove off without a word. As I watched him I realised that because he was driving a car, he saw himself superior to the attendants and he could not even greet them or say please.
The funny thing about life is that one day that same ‘I-am-better-than-you-guy’ may find himself at the mercy of criminals and the only person who can help him could be the same petrol attendant he once treated like the scum of the earth.
Be it your domestic worker, gardener or boss, treat people with the respect they deserve, you lose nothing. I am thankful for my brother, his struggles in life have made me a better person and taught me about Ubuntu. Today I drive around and work, but the food that fed me and the pocket money I took to school came from a man who put petrol into other people’s cars for a living.
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