Back in the spring of 2023, when Tucker Carlson was released from his employment at Fox News, he told in an interview to Megan Kelly, and again to Dan Bongino, that he harbored no bad feelings towards his former employers.
I am paraphrasing here, but he basically said when he was in discussions about his upcoming contract back when he started his own prime time show Monday through Friday, he told his executives that he would always hope to be able to speak his mind, and that when there ever can a time when he couldn’t,, that would be the end of his time at the network. So when he was relieved of his duties, which he claims, he really doesn’t know exactly why, he said that Fox News had every reason to remove him, that was the agreement if got tired of him. His employer had that right to do that. He continued with I didn’t own the network, I worked FOR them and when my employment no longer pleased them, of course they could remove me and my show.m. So, rather than burn the place down as she was walking out the door, Tucker Carlson chose to respect his employer as he had been respected while he worked there. Reciprocity.
In the fall of 1998 we decided that we needed more space in our home, so we looked around and found a good opportunity to build a new home. We put our house on the market ourselves. The first couple who looked at the house asked to make an appointment to sit down and talk about the offer. We sat down at our kitchen table, listened to their offer which was extremely reasonable just went within a few thousand dollars of our asking price. Their only stipulation was that they had hoped to have time to sell their house without having two mortgages. We on the other hand, wanted to know our house was sold and close the deal. What we came up with was an agreement whereas we closed and we paid their mortgage payment as rent until they sold their house at which time they were to notify us and we would have 30 days to vacate the home. So that’s exactly what happened. They came to us and said that they were ready to close on their house and they were hoping to have the home in 30 days. They asked if our house was completed and our response was “no, but that’s not your problem. We agreed to be out 30 days after YOUR home was sold. We found a place to stay in for the remaining 30 days we needed until our new house was complete, they sold and then moved into their place, that was the agreement, win/win. Reciprocity.
So much in life is based on reciprocity and respect for one another if you want to have a good outcome. Let’s take a family, for example, husband and wife. Each has different responsibilities and working hand-in-hand, in tandem, they can offer what their children need, sometimes one taking over for the other and vice versa as needed. Take the relationship of a parent and a child. Of course there is respect, but the parent is the authority figure. The parent shows the child respect by teaching them, in training them those skills that they’ll need to succeed in the world. When the child is grow they’re both adults of course they’re equal and that neither is the authority over the other any longer, while the child is growing, the parent shows the child respect by training them to know the things they need. The child is in turn to respect the parent and their role as the authority. As the child grows into an adult that respect continues but it’s an equal sense of respect towards the adult parent. At that point it could grow into a friendship as well. Consider the respect towards a sibling. It’s an equal sense of respect there’s a reciprocity. When the children are young they learn the meaning of respect for one another and the role their sibling will play in their lives, but there’s a sense of respect in that relationship. Consider the relationship of a friend. That’s equal respect, a mutual respect for one another. There may be times when each other leans on one another in times of need however, the overall feeling of the relationship is that of a mutual respect or a relationship of reciprocity. Look at any professional or business relationship, when there is a mutual respect and reciprocity, the relationship is a good one, maybe even long term. Consider that of a business owner and client. There is the respect of the person performing the service to do their best and then the respect of the client to pay for that service or transaction when the bill comes due.
You might call it the Golden Rule, Matthew 7:12, “In everything you do to others, what you would have them do to you.” In science, it may be “mutualism” where as two organisms both receive benefit and no one is harmed. What it means, is that you respect the person you are dealing with and maybe sometimes you give a little more maybe sometimes you receive a little more there’s the understanding that you will always give at least your equal part. That is not only right and customary, but it allows you to go to bed at night with a clean heart and a clear mind, knowing that you treated the people you dealt with that day with a sense of mutual honor and respect.
Ray Dalio and the book my son and I discussed.
One of my sons recently told me that he read a book by Ray Dalio, “Principles, ” about the principles that have helped him succeed in life both personally and professionally. Professionally with the very profitable investment company he founded, Bridgewater Capitol. I’m paraphrasing here but what he told me about the way Ray lives his life is that he has his core values and principles, and those principles don’t deviate from his personal relationships to his business and professional relationships. Ray gets up in the morning knowing what his values are, and what he stands for and he lives those principles every waking hour of the day. That conversation has been on my mind for the last few weeks and was the idea for this blog post.
Consider the value of a country or government run on that concept And consider the long term consequences of one not? Look at the French Revolution and other revolts throughout history. When rules and laws aren’t equally applied, and those in power get too powerful, eventually the constituents get fed up and make changes.
I have thought that if I had my own school the basics would be stressed, of course, reading writing, arithmetic and of equal importance the skill of reciprocity where as you treat everyone you come into contact with from your family at home to the people you do business with, those places you shop from and so on, all in the same manner, looking for the best in them them and treating them with respect. It’s a nice thought to imagine what the world could be like or at least your own community. Maybe it’s just a dream or something to strive towards as we begin a new year just a few weeks into 2024. Maybe making an effort to start the day with that intention, maybe you will too. I know I may not measure up everyday, but maybe a start in the right direction. Regardless, I’m wishing you a great day, readers & friends ❤️
