Seeing People a Second Time

This provocatively was expressed by a successful executive, who said: “You always meet people a second time.”¹ Sometimes in thoughtlessness we behave towards others as if we would never have to account for our actions or attitudes, or as if we were never going to see them again. We sometimes seem to rely on not being known. But as was long ago said: “. . . he who has one enemy shall meet him everywhere.”² Sometimes adults are inconsiderate with children. They may keep a child waiting in a line longer than they would an adult. But adults grow old and children grow up, and we never know when some child we have ignored may sometime be in a position where we may not only see him but need him. Sometimes where we feel we are not known, we may be less courteous or less considerate, or give way to unbecoming conduct. But we may again come face to face with the very people with whom we were guilty of unbecoming conduct. On the highway there are those who utter abusive language or rudely honk horns or cut in with dangerous discourtesy⎯people who might behave better across the desk or in a social situation. But they⎯or we⎯never know when we may come face to face in some different situation with someone toward whom we have acted rudely. There are some interesting observations on this subject from other sources. “There is a great deal in the first impressions.”³ “Do not all impressions made in life,” said Julius Bate, “continue immortal as the soul itself? May they not form the picture-gallery, upon which we shall gaze through the boundless ages of eternity?”⁴ Life is long enough to turn in many different directions, not only now, but endlessly; and each individual is important, and the likelihood of not seeing someone a second time would seem to be very slight, or at least it can’t be counted on. No one of us knows when we will need others. None of us can afford to be unfair or inconsiderate, or be found in unbecoming conduct on the assumption that we won’t see someone a second time. And aside from seeing others there is the matter of meeting our Maker, and of everlastingly seeing ourselves. We simply cannot count on not seeing someone a second time.