Emotional Transactions
When you provide services for “vibes”
Disclaimer: Personal Opinion mixed with observations. Views may be flawed and I welcome constructive criticism, if any.
Whether you openly accept it or not, you cannot deny that the world we live in relies on exchanges — be it directly or indirectly.
We all are quite well familiar with the use of money to meet our needs by acting as the intermediate between our needs and the services out there in the world. As a result, the world is structured to meet the financial needs of an individual — education makes one more resourceful to the world and thus adds more monetary value for herself. Over time, one will observe the steady stability of the individual in society and quality of life improves overall.
However, if you take a closer look at these services, beyond meeting our survival needs — we tend to value the feeling it generates in us. It may not be obvious at first but there is a layer of emotional requirement that needs to be met.
Many a times though, this emotional requirement is met not merely from materialistic objects but from interpersonal relations. As humans, having to communicate is our essential requirement to ensure stability in the system. This indicates that deep within we make transactions of a different kind to quench the needs of the mind — what I would like to call as Emotional Transactions.
To be emotionally rich is to be highly self-reliant — to know for a fact that tomorrow when you wake up, you will be safe and people will acknowledge your presence and value in the system.
To gain this level of trust, it takes a lot of time and patience to build your relationship with others — to connect with them on a personal level by understanding their strengths and weaknesses.
Now, don’t mistake this for being selfless in every case. Though it might seem as being outright open and caring towards everyone, truth be told you are creating a two way support system where both parties expect to gain support when the waves of time prove to be challenging.
Some relations, however, are uncertain investments for the future. These are in fact the purest form of emotional transactions in my opinion. You help your children with all your heart because you love them and feel connected with them. Yes, there is an untold expectation of their love and support in your old age but that is not the root motivation for your actions.
In the aforementioned systems, emotional transactions make one feel safe and valued. To be emotionally weak is to feel disconnected from the network — to feel no one is there who can be trusted. Just like money, you need to be persistent and patient in your work to let the emotional value flourish over time. Many leaders are beloved by few not merely because of the promises they make but also because of the actions they take to personally connect with your needs.
If you are emotionally rich, the need to meet survival needs in the form of monetary support will most likely be secondary. If things went wrong and you find yourself in help, your emotional stability added with the support system you cultivated in the past will help you find your internal compass to restart and navigate your way to growth.
I feel church pastors are quite emotionally rich in this regard. The worldly materialistic needs are (usually) secondary — which makes it relatively less challenging.
To conclude, while it is important to be rich in money, it is also important to be self sufficient in values and emotions.
