‘Everyday’ Intelligence: Christmas Special: Don’t be a Scrooge

So it is Christmas.

Well, almost, anyway.

Only, it’s not, really.

Yet, it is that magical time of the year when normal people, like you and me, turn into crazed deal- hungry shoppers ready to do everything to get that 30% off their pre- selected Christmas gifts.

Putting the sarcasm aside for a moment (**NB** a moment, not in general!), it must be said that I Christmas does manage to bring out the benevolent and caring side in people.

But let us now, ostracising ourselves from the festivities, focus on those who have somehow inherently developed a trait which, in my view, must be eradicated from the face of the Earth, no, Universe.

That trait is one of my most favourite and loved characteristics ever and I have always felt rather saddened by the fact that I do not possess it myself. (**NB** here is where the above moment ends)

Uncle Scrooge had it, some of my friends have it, most Governments of the day have it; yes, folks, you guessed it:

I am talking about being stingy.

I shan’t elaborate on how much I dislike stingy people because that would be rather childish and unprofessional.

Rather, I shall demonstrate my views on the matter by presenting you with two different viewpoints of the same scenario.

The Scenario:

You and your friends decide to treat yourselves to a lunch at a restaurant.

You pick a spot and have the loveliest lunch ever in the best company ever being served by the most polite and non- intrusive waiters ever.

You are quite content with the whole arrangement; as a result, all of you leave a small tip- between £ 2- £ 5 to show your appreciation of the service.

All of you but one, that is.

One person takes the cash left by the others and asks the waitress to put the remainder of the bill on his debit card.

A very long and awkward mix of confusion, embarrassment and silence follows the above.

How the Scrooge sees it (mind you, this is a mere speculation as I have never been a Scrooge myself):

• I had a good time AND save some money; go me!

How everyone else sees it:

• First reaction: Oh my God, what just happened!?

• Follow- up thought: Why are we tipping him!? I thought we were tipping the lovely waitress!

• After- thought: That ruined my lunch. Completely. Cheers for that.

You might want to point out that the above scenario is somewhat over- exaggerated; I am, however, awfully sorry to tell you that it is a real- life situation that I have, myself, been a part of.

Behaviour such as the above is completely unacceptable and utterly illogical.

Some might maintain that most stingy people are also selfish and do not normally care about what others think about them.

Further, it might be argued that most people have not got where they are by being caring and benevolent.

Let us, however, opt to explore the above from a purely logical point of view:

• Let us say that the stingier you are, the more money you’ll have.

• The more money you have, the more connections you’ll have.

• The more connections you have, the more influence you’ll have.

• The more influence you have, the more powerful you become.

• The more powerful you become, the more people will expect from you.

• The more people expect from you, in order to maintain your status and power, the more responsibilities you will have.

• The more responsibilities you have, the more people you will have to help and care about.

• The more people you have to help and care about, the more you will have to give away and invest.

Oooooops!

But a stingy person does not do that, does he now? If you, however, do not do that, your power and influence will diminish, you will lose everyone’s trust and go back to square one.

To conclude, I would urge you all to avoid being stingy at all times. If you do not care about the others then do it for yourself and your own well- being.

All logic, nothing fluffy.