There’s this notion that my surroundings have familiarized me with while growing up. The notion is that ‘People are useful’. And not in the they can be generous to you, assist you in times of need and support you; rather in the you can use them to learn more, better yourself and get ahead.
This notion irked me in the past. I’d think, how dare someone use someone else because they conflate their value with the amount of power they have? I never fully understood it.
But now, I think I do, a little. Now, I think that I understand that power is just as important as simply learning for the sake of. And knowing people is so much more than just being their friend, appreciating them and loving them.
You can use your contacts to your advantage. And I don’t mean this in a, “Oh, I’m going to take advantage of you and leave you on the curb, drained.” But more like a, “Maybe we can make use of one another’s skills to grow more, be better, learn more.”
And I don’t believe that’s an unfair exchange because yes, you’re using them to your advantage. But hey, so are they! And how can you learn unless you immerse yourself in foreign experiences, with foreign people?
In the most humane way, I think people are useful.
Memoirs of a Muse 