Do Not Judge a Person by How They Treat You When You Hold Power
Dr. Santosh Kumar Mohapatra
We should not judge a person’s character solely by how they behave towards us. Their behaviour may depend on many factors, including our position, influence, power, and ability to help them or create difficulties for them.
I have observed an interesting pattern in my own experience. When I telephone certain influential people from my public mobile number, they receive my calls.
However, when I call them from my other unknown mobile number, many of them do not respond. This makes me wonder whether their willingness to answer depends not merely on who is calling, but also on how they perceive the caller’s identity, position, influence, or usefulness to them.
This observation reflects a broader reality of human behaviour. People may treat us with respect, warmth and courtesy not necessarily because they genuinely value us as human beings, but because of the position we occupy, the power we exercise, or the benefits they expect to derive from us. Some may even offer an elaborate welcome, a grand reception and exceptional hospitality when we hold an influential position.
But such treatment does not necessarily reveal their true character. Nor does it mean they extend the same respect and courtesy to people who have neither power nor influence.
The real test of a person’s character is not how they treat those who can help them, but how they treat those from whom they have nothing to gain. Genuine respect is demonstrated through consistency, humility, empathy and fairness, irrespective of a person’s status, designation, wealth or influence.
Power can attract attention, position can command outward respect, and influence can open doors. But none of these necessarily guarantees genuine affection or respect for the individual behind the position.
Therefore, we should be careful not to mistake preferential treatment for genuine regard or public honour for personal worth. The way people behave towards us when we are powerful may reveal less about their character than the way they treat those who are powerless, vulnerable or unable to offer them anything in return.
Ultimately, character is revealed not by how respectfully someone treats the powerful, but by how humanely they treat the powerless.
