WHEN IT'S NOT A RIGHT
"Come on Sunday can't you say daddy well done?" my dad will scream at certain times expecting me to reciprocate his efforts by appreciating him. I will immediately say "O daddy, no vex, I forget, daddy well done". This happened severally when I was a teen. And that is what we were made to believe growing up; people should be appreciated for being nice to us even if they are fulfilling their responsibilities in the process.
This is the practice in an average Nigerian home. I don't quite have an issue with this as long as you keep it in your homes. But you see, the problem is many persons take this expectation outside and even to their work places where they are paid for the said responsibility. How can a team of workers who are paid promptly be complaining that their Head of Department doesn't routinely tell them, "guys, you are doing a great job?" and because of this, they are planning not to put in their best anymore or a CEO who can see from the level of growth that his team of staff are doing well be expecting the workers to routinely appreciate him for paying them for their services that has made him richer. On a rational perspective, does this make sense?
I'm not discrediting the need for appreciating people but we should know when getting an appreciation from someone or a group of persons should be seen as a privilege not a right. If you promote your worker as at when due, an appreciation is a privilege not a right. Someone will argue that they are some persons you will work for that won't pay you or promote you in due time, so you should appreciate him. Well, I'm not against you appreciating him but I wish he doesn't see it as a right.
Let me say that an appreciation is a right if someone gives you what you don't deserve or it's not your right. For instance, your boss buys you lunch or promotes you earlier than it should be or makes other incentives available to you that you are not suppose to get.
I'm Jay Sun and I believe you shouldn't get mad at someone for not fulfilling a kind gesture towards you when it's a privilege and not a right