The Limit

At times, some people respond is like this: “Hello, may I speak to ABC please?”... “He’s not here.” I never have a comeback for that line!! What does ‘he’s not here’ mean? Did the guy die? Did he disappear? Did he vaporize into thin air? Why don’t they tell us if they can’t be disturbed? At least we get the idea that he may be busy. They could at least tell us as to when he may be available. I remember a certain incident where the irritation was highly suppressed by its humor. I had called my friend at a very bad time: “Hello, may I speak to ABC please?” “Who is this?” “XYZ” “Wrong number!!” It was the hardest I had ever laughed!

Then there is this other class of people who manage to ruin your day (or night) without having to say a single word. They do it by ringing you at the exact time you least wish to disturbed: while in the bath, in between meals, while watching the news and the worst of all- in the middle of a nap. It doesn’t matter how many times you tell them, they just never care.

I remember a certain stage...a time where I wished I was dead, or better...shoot them dead! There used to be constant calls with a gap of nearly 3 minutes in between each. Whenever I picked up the phone, it would start beeping. The damn thing would never stop! i thought it was a practical joke... Later on, I learned that it was a fax. Two weeks after this started, a human would respond in every 7th call, saying: "Sir, Please turn on your fax machine, we are sending the CVs that You requested". I keep telling them that this is a residence number but it fails to sink into their abnormally thick heads. It was some company from Jordan. It stopped nearly two months later. Another company from Jordan was only glad to take over the vacancy!!

What drives people to behave in this manner? Can’t they take four seconds to reveal their identity? Is it so hard to make out that we ask for the person’s name by ‘who are you?’? Are they so dim as not to be able to realize that they are being a perfect cad by calling us and asking who we are? Are they so senseless so as not to be able to take a hint when we do not answer the phone even after five rings? Why are the people so self-centered? I believe that during a conversation a person is certainly expected to fulfill the other person’s requirements too.

Another Similar Story....

Another infuriating thing is when they answer that question with “I am his friend”. “The question is who you are, not what you are, smartass.” What I mean is what help is ‘I am his friend’? Is it so hard to make out that we asked for the person’s name?

And the worst it can get is when they fire the same question at you! I remember one such incident during my holidays when I was with my brother. I happened to answer is mobile phone as he was unavailable. I say, “Hello?” The caller stops mid word and: “Who’s this?” “What do you mean ‘who’s this’? You called here, wise guy, who the heck are you??” But of course, my moral values stopped me from saying that. I stuck to a simple ‘who are you?’ It turned out to be another name-less friend....

Transitions

In this ever developing world, the improvement in the quality of life, of technology, of basically everything under the sun, is magnanimous. One talks of the latest 'stuff' that is 'in', in music, in movies, games, gadgets, trends in fashion... the list is never ending. But one field where quality seems very much lax goes unnoticed - The Ethics of Communication.

The degradation in the written language is as clear as broad day light - observed in the new and easy chat and E-mail systems which has replaced the conventional and once emotionally satisfying tradition of writing letters. But the point I wish to stress upon is the present style of conversations over the telephone.

When one person intimates another over the telephone, he or he is expected to respect the receiver's requirements. Why is it that the caller should remain anonymous to the person who answers the call? If the person who is asked for is at the moment unavailable, stating the caller's name and/or no. would be helpful. "Hello? May I speak to ABC?" The guy may not be around! " He has gone out for the moment. May I know who.." - CLICK!! - They just disconnect and that's the end of it!! How hard is it to say, "Hello, This is XYZ, may i speak to ABC please?" Life would have been a lot simpler this way, at least, less aggravating...