In the wonderful film As Good As It Gets, the Jack Nicholson character ask the heroine, who earlier had been helped by him, for a big favor. He hints she owes him. She says: "are you saying that accepting your help obligates me?" He answers: "is there any other way of looking at it?" She has no answer for that.
But actually I think there is another way of looking at it. A wise friend of mine once said that there's no obligation to pay back help, if there was, it wouldn't be help, it would be business.
"I'll cook dinner if you'll drive me to the airport tomorrow" is a business transaction. "I'll cook dinner, you seem tired" is help.
4 comments:
So true my friend! My Dad always taught me, what goes around, comes around. It's one of life's most important lessons!
Tommy
I enjoy helping people, and never expect repayment of a "favor" given. I have similar rules for money:
Never loan out money you can't afford to lose. And never ask for repayment of such a debt. If they don't initiate repayment, you should remember that the next time they ask for help.
You're slipping. Helen Hunt is a fine looking lady. Yet here you don't share a picture of her.
As for help and gifts. I believe in passing forward as much as returning.
There are favors you cannot repay, like a jump start when you can't even give them the price of a beer/candy bar/whatever. At that point you just buy a pair of long cables and keep them in your trunk/boot and pass it forward.
I just notice in "As Good As it Gets" Yeardley Smith played "Jackie Simpson". I wonder if they picked the characters last name just for her in honor of her role in the longest running TV sitcom.
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