Expectations!

I do have expectations. I do expect others to act like human beings with some concern for the wellbeing, safety, and security of others around them. I do expect others to mean things they say, I do expect others, especially in public spaces, to have manners and respect for public properties.

And in my personal life, I treat to be treated.

“Expectations lead to disappointment.”

It can be true, and it is true when you are dealing with individuals who don’t abide by the same moral code as you. It is applicable when you are interacting with individuals with different standards than your own.

Expectations shouldn’t lead to disappointment, if anything, expectations are acts of accountability that reveal our awareness of social obligations to our immediate communities and the collective.

Safety and Security!

We have gone to wars for peace; we have negotiated for peace and security; we have manufactured laws and institutions to govern our relations for the sake of collective safety and security. We have created systems of expectations.

You are expecting an army to defend you in a state of war; you are expecting services paid for by your valuable time. You are expecting your spouse to honor agreements and promises. You are expecting Facebook and google to protect your data and privacy. You are placing a lot of faith and expectations in the system.

Human Relations!

In the jungle, animals tend to stick to their own kind; they don’t mingle with other species much, especially prey and predators. For example, you will not run into a cat and a dog pair snuggling by a creek. Neither will feel safe around the other. You will not find Bambi and Mufasa having a conversation about their next shared meal under a tree.

In domesticated homes, you can easily find only one of the abovementioned pairs behaving as two best friends.

Our relationships with one another are built on an accumulation of social contracts to ensure safe and fair dealings. We didn’t always get it right, but we have been moving in the right direction, so very slowly. However, there are cemented boundaries and rights.

It is my opinion that expectations don’t lead to disappointment; exceptions do.