Types of People

Since I started taking part in the activities involved in the maintenance and upkeep of the apartment I stay in, the thought to classify people came to my mind. It’s not that I don’t see people with these traits in other places like work or family. Yet it comes up starkly to me in the housing community. Maybe this is because people are more their natural selves at home rather than at work.

The classification is based on the expectations and contribution of people to the society they live in. While my thoughts are based on my observation in an apartment community, it could be extended to a larger scale too. This article could help a reader identify oneself with respect to the society which provides him or her a secure place to live in and a community to relate to.

I am no research scholar to be an authority on classifying people’s behaviour. This article is a mere expression about people and society as I perceive them. The idea of writing this down and sharing is to see if the reader can identify himself or herself with one of these types – realize the impact and work towards making a more healthy contribution to others around him or her.

With that perspective, here is my categorization:

1)      The “I will do for a healthy society” one – Those who work selflessly to create a better environment (The Trust-worthy Leaders).

This is the rare lot. A handful of them can make the society a better place. They lead, support, undertake actual work and do anything required to keep things in good shape. However, most of the time, they don’t get recognized for their work and contribution. As leaders, they take initiative. But as is human, they also commit mistakes. They get blamed for all that goes wrong and rarely get appreciated for things that are in place. They are taken for granted. Yet they continue their work.

2)      The “I will do for my own good” ones – Those who do things which benefit the society but are driven by their own needs for comfort and creating a circle of influence (The Selfish Leaders).

These people know that their comfort and well-being is linked to that of the society. Hence, they lead positive initiatives. These are people who are ready to work for the society so that their own aims are achieved. The flip side is that they are driven by their selfish motives. They like to hold on to power and authority. The work they do is driven by the benefits they expect – material or non-material benefits.

3)      The “I’m there to support” ones – Those who care but won’t take an initiative and may support others who lead (The Quiet Ones).

This lot of people are ready and willing to help those who drive things to build a better place to live in. While they would generally just remain silent and tolerate unpleasant things if no one else takes initiative, they can be relied upon to extend support in times of need. They are mute in most situations but quite dependable when it to comes to actual work execution.

4)      The “I am one amongst others” ones – Those who don’t care (The Public).

This is a larger segment or people. They just don’t care about things – either good or bad. If they are affected negatively, they tolerate it. If there is some positive influence, it doesn’t matter much to them. They are passive and think that changing situations, volunteering for a cause or in general doing something not directly related to oneself, is someone else’s job. They do not consider themselves responsible for their surroundings and the society in general. Their relation with the society is transactional.

5)      The “I find things aren’t right” ones – Those who point out problems but won’t do anything about it (The Cribbers).

This is a segment who want others to do things while they refrain from contributing themselves. They want things to be done for them. They expect to be served and feel it is their right to complain. They highlight issues but never propose solutions. They demand, but won’t come forward to help. However, they do not stop their mandatory contributions like maintenance charges or taxes. This is either because they have a little courtesy or because they lack the courage to pick up a fight with those who those in charge.

6)      The “I Demand” ones – Those who want to be served just because they are paying an amount by way of maintenance charges or taxes (The Demanding).

This kind of people demand service for themselves. They feel they have a right to demand and get the things they want just because they stay there or have to make mandatory monetary contribution (like taxes, maintenance charges, etc.). They don’t care if others are affected or if others are comfortable. They only want their own demands fulfilled. Maintaining good relations means nothing to them. The world for them is restricted to their small domain. They would rarely appreciate good work and would generally stand first to condemn mistakes. Such people are almost never really happy.

It’s up to a reader to place himself or herself in the appropriate category above. While everyone has a choice to be the way they would like to be, I believe that a positive influence on the society is a moral obligation of every human being. One ought to at least try to contribute in a positive manner if a community (in a small scale) and the world at large has to be made a better place.

While writing the above I have placed the categories in the order of least to most desired attributes. It would be really wonderful if people can at least try to scale up one level in this order. It would definitely go a long way to make this world a better place to live in.