Here was my comment about his post. It’s a bit philosophical, and I certainly don’t have all the answers, but it’s something I think we should dialog about.

***

Other than twittering, I’m doing all the things you mentioned. (I tried Twitter, but having everyone know what I’m doing all the time tripped me up.) Here’s my conundrum:

When we lived in France, there was absolutely no such thing as customer service. If you walked into a store, trying to exchange something, you couldn’t. And you were met with an angry look.

Many times, I’d say something like, “Well, I will never come back to your store then.”

“Fine. I don’t care,” was often the response.

So you can imagine my joy when I returned to America, the land of customer service. Suddenly people followed me around in The Gap, asking if I needed anything. Folks bent over backwards to make me happy. And, oddly, it made me feel uncomfortable too.

I wonder (and maybe this is controversial) whether customer service can be construed as feeding our hedonism? Pushing us to more and more selfishness? Reinforcing a demanding spirit?

Of course, we should treat others the way we want to be treated. And I certainly didn’t relish being scoffed at in France. But, truly, is it good for me for people to fawn over my needs all the time?

In France I learned how to weather disappointment better. I learned how to exist in frustration without blowing up. I learned patience. And now that I’m back in the states, I’m finding myself slide back into impatience and anger, giving in to a demanding spirit.

Sure, I love customer service. Absolutely. And I strive, as an author and book mentor, to serve people well. But I wonder if there’s some sort of hedonistic line we cross when it’s always about making people happy about us and our product. Maybe it’s not a businessy way of thinking. 

I’m curious what your thoughts are.