I drove home last night from a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. On my way home I passed by Toys-R-US at about midnight. I was shocked to see a line made up of atleast 1500 individuals. The line sSanned the fronts of atleast six stores; each store front being atleast 30ft wide. As I drove by I wondered, "why are we so fixated on material goods in this society?" We place so much value on material goods.
In the grand scheme of things we should be placing the largest values on eachother. It's possible that we buy material goods to show the value we give to eachother. However, I believe it easy to get lost in the fantasy of material goods. Robberies, fights, lies, and heartaches result from the want of material items. We become convinced of our need* for certain items, when in reality we can get by with very little.
Using materials to define ourselves can lead to unproductive roads. We spend so much time, effort, and money on building our entertainment centers or closet wardrobes. What does this profit us? I beleive our focus has shifted in this generation. Rather than building a weatlh of goods we should be building wealth in character. In our day we buy expensive clothes that supposedly define us to others. Jeans may say, "I'm wealthy" or "I'm trendy" or even "I'm rebellious". Is this what we really want, our clothes defining us rather than our actions? It's time we got back to the basics in life.
I'm guilty of wanting to live comfortably in life. I won't lie, there are a lot of things I want. These things should however, not be the driving force of our motivation in life. Is it worth it to work hard your whole life to have your dream house or dream car? We die and that dream item stays. Yes, work hard for that home or car but let your relationships with others be your driving force behind your motivation. I believe now is the time to start building characters and strong relationships with eachother.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
TIPS
To Insure Prompt Service also known as TIPS. We as a society go to restaurants all the time. We order drinks, entrees, and sometimes dessert. There is one more thing most restaurants offer that we order-- service. The difference between our meals and service, is sometimes we don't pay for the service. Maybe the service was poor, maybe we are cheap, maybe we weren't taught proper etiquette, or maybe we just don't care.
I've worked in the restaurant business for a few years. If you could see or experience some of things I've gone through; you would be shocked! To start, people must understand that servers only make $2.13-2.17 an hour. Our hourly wages pay for our taxes. This means our TIPS are 100% of our primary source of income. Often times servers must tip out bussers and bartenders from their tips, for the work they do. This can be up to 10-15% of a server's gross tips. So what does all this exactly mean? Well, say you go into a restaurant and spend $45 on a meal. You decide to tip 10% so around $4.50. The server does not receive $4.50 he will receive around $4 of that tip. In this scenario it doesn't seem to affect a server too much, but lets look at a different scenario. Say you go out with your family and spend $100 on a dinner. You decide not to tip the server for whatever reason. This translates into the server losing money for having served you. Because whether or not you tip a server they have to tip out bussers and bartenders on either their gross sales or gross tips. Now you can start to see why it is important to pay for what you order.
Some people have a false notion that they are entitled to the server doing whatever they want. Let us not forget that you are not above the server, you are in fact paying* for the luxery to have a server. Thus you must think in terms that you are paying the server to serve you. A server does not come with the meal, his/her service is not included in the price of the entrees you buy. You should pay the server for his/her services.
Now the question arises, "well how much am I supposed to TIP?". My father taught me to pay people well for the services they provide. In the long run it will yield greater benefits for you. Some people take the tax and double it, some feel 18% of total sale is adequate. My feelings are biased on the subject. Of course I want the largest tips possible, but I know that is not reasonable for everyone. However, I do beleive people should legitamatley pay for the service they receive. So I feel that I received A+ service or $20 service, I will pay that server that amount.
In the aggregate I believe it is important to be honest and pay people honestly for the services they provide. It is important to learn proper etiquette, otherwise karma can be a biotch.
I've worked in the restaurant business for a few years. If you could see or experience some of things I've gone through; you would be shocked! To start, people must understand that servers only make $2.13-2.17 an hour. Our hourly wages pay for our taxes. This means our TIPS are 100% of our primary source of income. Often times servers must tip out bussers and bartenders from their tips, for the work they do. This can be up to 10-15% of a server's gross tips. So what does all this exactly mean? Well, say you go into a restaurant and spend $45 on a meal. You decide to tip 10% so around $4.50. The server does not receive $4.50 he will receive around $4 of that tip. In this scenario it doesn't seem to affect a server too much, but lets look at a different scenario. Say you go out with your family and spend $100 on a dinner. You decide not to tip the server for whatever reason. This translates into the server losing money for having served you. Because whether or not you tip a server they have to tip out bussers and bartenders on either their gross sales or gross tips. Now you can start to see why it is important to pay for what you order.
Some people have a false notion that they are entitled to the server doing whatever they want. Let us not forget that you are not above the server, you are in fact paying* for the luxery to have a server. Thus you must think in terms that you are paying the server to serve you. A server does not come with the meal, his/her service is not included in the price of the entrees you buy. You should pay the server for his/her services.
Now the question arises, "well how much am I supposed to TIP?". My father taught me to pay people well for the services they provide. In the long run it will yield greater benefits for you. Some people take the tax and double it, some feel 18% of total sale is adequate. My feelings are biased on the subject. Of course I want the largest tips possible, but I know that is not reasonable for everyone. However, I do beleive people should legitamatley pay for the service they receive. So I feel that I received A+ service or $20 service, I will pay that server that amount.
In the aggregate I believe it is important to be honest and pay people honestly for the services they provide. It is important to learn proper etiquette, otherwise karma can be a biotch.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Close Your Mind or Open Your Eyes
Ideals, morals, and beliefs haev changed drastically over the last few decades. Politics, fear, and loud voices have all played major parts in the change. I've noticed how desperately people want others to accept and believe the way they do. Often when people choose not to accept beliefs or ideals they are tagged as "closed minded" beings. This phrase is as common within idealistic arguments as cheeseburgers at McDonalds. I've been in or near these arguments several times within my life. The most common argument deals with marriage ... can it be between two men/women? Usually the argument starts with one side who believes in traditional marriage and one who believes in same-sex marriage. Both sides start by explaining their views and perspectives. In my last argument it ended by the poignant phrase, "you are close minded". My rebuttal is usually short; no. Over the last week I've thought about that small phrase that seems to paralyze people and causes people to walk on egg shells.
To me, closed minded people are those who refuse to even consider another person's views. They are those who out of fear or sheer ignorance close their eyes, minds, or ears. They lack any sort of consideration of the topic or person. In contrast an open minded person is one who considers other views and perspectives. They are those who ponder and search for their own views and feelings on the given subject. They are those who do not fear the possibility of change in views or simply being wrong on the subject.
I believe a lot of confusion comes when people tag open minded people as close minded people. Just because people don't believe or feel the way you do does not make them a close minded person. If that were the case everyone would have to believe everything. If a person does not accept your beliefs but have considered and thoughtfully pondered their position, they remain open minded. They opened their mind to your beliefs and chose not to accept them as their own. Open your mind don't close your eyes, open your eyes don't close your mind.
To me, closed minded people are those who refuse to even consider another person's views. They are those who out of fear or sheer ignorance close their eyes, minds, or ears. They lack any sort of consideration of the topic or person. In contrast an open minded person is one who considers other views and perspectives. They are those who ponder and search for their own views and feelings on the given subject. They are those who do not fear the possibility of change in views or simply being wrong on the subject.
I believe a lot of confusion comes when people tag open minded people as close minded people. Just because people don't believe or feel the way you do does not make them a close minded person. If that were the case everyone would have to believe everything. If a person does not accept your beliefs but have considered and thoughtfully pondered their position, they remain open minded. They opened their mind to your beliefs and chose not to accept them as their own. Open your mind don't close your eyes, open your eyes don't close your mind.
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