THEIR PROBLEMS … ARE MY PROBLEMS TOO...!

Staying in rented accommodation can be an adventure and at the same time a real learning. I am quite sure that people who have experienced this alternative would have gathered many memories for a lifetime. The surprise visit from the Landlord, the fight for water, addition to rent without notice, loud music, trash spilled over… and the list of events goes on.

During one of my stays in rental accommodation, the experience was a different one. I was among the 3 tenants on the ground floor of the house with a separate entry and exit. There was total freedom by the owner and there was no intervention whatsoever in any form. The best part was the down-to-earth attitude of the owner of the house who would take special interest in maintaining the cleanliness of the premises. All three of us had clear cut-bifurcation in terms of electricity, water and vehicle parking. Except for the UPS.. the power back-up!

Though power cuts were not frequent during the beginning of summer, the UPS was a must and should requirement during the summer season when the humidity levels would shoot to the extreme. However, the real problem crept in on a night when the power cut continued for more than 4 hours and the UPS died down after discharging the entire backup. Since the other two tenants were pursuing their graduation, the usage of laptops and other devices drained the UPS in total. That Night was a sleepless night without a fan and light for all three tenants. Somehow the night passed by and the next day the other two tenants were seen complaining with hues and cries to the owner of the house about the UPS and urging the owner to replace the same with the new one. I too was summoned by the owner of the house for a common discussion about how to handle the UPS crisis. For a moment I felt that all three of us would be drilled with left-right encounters for not handling the situation properly. However, the owner was very patient in replying to the annoyed tenants and advised them to use only limited appliances/gadgets when there is a power cut as it would help the UPS last for a bit longer than usual. I found her answer to be quite sensible and all the three went back to our places.

But the real drama was yet to happen! The power cuts in our location became too rampant and the UPS dying down was quite frequent. Both the youngsters started using more and more electronic gadgets and appliances during the power cut and the UPS did not even last for 2 hours during the power breakdown. The situation crossed all the limits when the UPS would die down immediately giving a backup of 30-45 minutes. I realized that these two tenants were deliberately using their laptops along with lights and fans on, just to gratify their ego and in this context, all three including me had to bear the unfavorable consequence. I was totally furious with the narrow-minded behaviour of these two and decided to talk to them collectively. I told them that the UPS was a common resource, and everyone should use it wisely. If we use the same with little sensitivity all three could manage the power-cuts without causing much disruption.

The immediate reply from them was “We pay the rent on time and will use the resources as we want. You too, can use any appliances or gadgets you want during the power cut. You not using the UPS is not our headache. Your problem is not our problem!”????

I did not feel like continuing the conversation and left the place and was just rethinking what these two people had concluded - Your problem is not our problem!

I thought of appraising the Owner of the house with the current challenge that I was facing because of the irresponsible behaviour of my co-tenants. But then I realized that she would not interfere in this matter as it was between the tenants and a matter of less relevance.

As I lay down on the bed gazing at the fan, a lot of thoughts started flowing across my mind.

How can someone be so arrogant? I need to teach these youngsters a strong lesson. Its high time even I start using all the appliances and gadgets during the power cut deliberately. And make sure that the UPS dries down in no time. Even the owner of the house must be made to realize her folly of selecting the wrong tenants. Yes, this was the best option to take these hardheaded people to task.

After reassuring myself that this was the best alternative, I was now waiting for power cut so that I could execute this plan.

Suddenly another thought started flowing in my mind…..

Who will be the most affected individual once I materialize this strategy?

My co-tenants? Definitely Yes…They won't be able to use any of their appliances or gadgets. And this serves them right.

Is it going to be the owner of the house? Yes. She should have taken some serious action against the tenants for their indiscipline.

And finally, somewhere my thought process stopped at a point where I had to question myself…

Will this cheap strategy of mine damage me somehow? ………..

Yes…….. I would be equally affected by this low-level thinking as I too would have to suffer equally along with the co-tenants sitting in the darkness. Darkness which was self-created by me!

How foolish I was to follow my malicious intention of tanning/whipping someone's hide?

Chasing our dreams …rushing through different phases of our life.. we have become too busy focusing on the ‘self’ while ignoring the individuals around us. We work with a strong belief that ‘your problems are not my problems’ and enjoy a peculiar glee when we see others in trouble. This kind of self-seeking attitude is the reason for a hostile environment in the current scenario. In modern times where the entire success of the organization is attributed to team cohesiveness and team dynamics, failure to uplift and provide support to peers can be very damaging to the business in the long run. Supporting individuals through their tough times can have great results creating a unique value in a holistic way.

Be it the personal or professional boundary that we work in, at the end of the day, all we need is to understand one simple thing:

Their Problems … Are My Problem Too..!

KEEP LEARNING…..KEEP GROWING!

#KLKG

(A special note of thanks to my beloved friend Darell Joseph for sketching down this beautiful art. Darell is a great fine artist known for his art work especially thread painting, drawing out portraits and wall art paintings in his free time. Thank you Darell for adding more colors and vibrance to my article.)