I was thinking Germany, as they often produce high end cutlery- though to be fair it is hard to judge from the picture the quality of this knife for me, and I can’t make out the markings.

HIYO!

Well said…. Uh oh. Wait…

If you’re on your feet you aren’t using it right.

So the feelings I have are that yes- in a caring or developed society we need to be mindful of others particularities because the idea of typical, there isn’t really a good standard there, there are just people who are maybe closer to it than others, but a range of personalities and other things contribute to the fact that we all have differences and it isn’t as simple for anyone to say “just do this..” or “just push through…” Everyone has to their best to try of course- but when we are at the practical limits of what we can do or handle and the practical limits of managing that through strategy and preparation and tactics- everyone needs support. Everyone. So that’s what it is really about is supporting people. Giving grace and being there to support others.

If everyone else delivers $10k contracts on time and you deliver $50k one’s off schedule you’re probably fine. Steven Hawking did fine and if he had Tourette’s on top of everything else and anxiety do you think he’d be any less a legend in his field or sold less books? Of course most of us aren’t Steven Hawking and- no insults meant- not everyone is anywhere near being close. It is a bit of a fix to be in to bed mediocre or worse regardless of how typical one is, but being atypical and mediocre or worse is doubly hard I’m sure.

You can be the biggest flake in the world but if you are there for 3 different people the handful of times they desperately need someone- all three will say you are the most reliable person on earth. So if we cultivate our image as competent and capable and reliable, if and when we falter or the areas we have our weaknesses, they tend to get overlooked. No one really cares. Especially in business. You think no one knows about these scandals in the news? No one knows about the Epsteins and Weinstens and the Ken Lays etc? They just do business for decades and have no idea? Of course people know. It’s business. How much of a dirt bag you are has nothing to do with how much money you can make for someone if you deliver. So they pretend to not know or do everything they can to not think about it and pretend it doesn’t exist. And the same goes for the rest. Late for meetings? If you don’t hold up everyone else from doing work and yours is good- no one really cares usually.

The truth is very few people are as organized or focussed or knowledgeable etc. as they seem. You don’t have to be. You just have to seem like you are. So much of life and especially business is about a persona or image. Few people if anyone will ever see the full and real you because even if you show them it bare- they’ll still have their own perceptions and biases that they will view you through. You only exist in your mind. A leader doesn’t have to be confident or even competent. They have to seem like they are and have good people or good prep or luck or some combination. You don’t have to succeed to be seen as someone who succeeds, if your name is associated with enough successes people will see you as someone who succeeds.

If I need to study for weeks before a big event and practice and have contingency plans and excuses so that when it is game time I have done everything I can to mitigate the chances of my divergences from causing issues to my intended goal- that’s what it takes. If I need to do all that to make sure that I have an “escape plan” that can get me to a safe place with a reasonable and discreet alibi because I can’t keep my shit together, so be it.
When able I’ll choose locations and schedules specifically based around the ability to discreetly cater to my needs and offer “emergency” contingency.

.. have a bad day so the why is only important in certain cases. I was taught that there are places and times to show your cards and places and times to hold back.
There are times we get angry and no matter how angry we are it is important to not show it. We can be as angry as we want inside. We can save it up and vent it out later, but in that moment what we need to do is finish what we came to do and if anger will hurt the chances of that, you don’t have time for it. If you are in pain and can barely stand but in that moment you need to appear strong, you either control the pain until you are in a safe space to let it out or you fail. The greater the consequences the more important it is to keep your shit together or do everything you can to appear to keep your shit together.

I was taught to find my limits, always try to push them, but acknowledge them. To not gamble on my ability to exceed what I can reasonably expect of myself when others are relying on my results or the outcome is critical and I have the choice not to gamble.
I was taught to let others know what I cannot do, to set expectations and work to exceed them but to not overpromise or leave others to their assumptions which are usually based on what to expect from a typical person. I was also taught to keep it to myself. Because no one really cares. That while you want to disclose to others who rely on you where your limits are, you also aren’t special just because you are “different.” There is no way for someone else to know if I am unable to do something because of how I am or if I am using how am I to excuse myself from failure or something I don’t want to do. It doesn’t really matter. People will believe what they want on the matter anyway and everyone makes mistakes or can be lazy or…

Thy said- modern life for most is rarely so life or death, and ALL people have limits. We ALL reach a point or face a challenge, physical, mental, emotional, that we just can’t overcome. We all struggle from time to time with our responsibilities and life. That is an understanding that we should all be able to extend to others while realizing that in different areas others limits are not the same as our own. Not everyone can “push though” the things we can. Imagine if every person was judged off the abilities of the “top” people in that category? If every 18 year old minimum wage worker was expected to expend the effort and posses the knowledge and skill and drive and judgment of a 46 year old senior engineer that designed the computer they are selling? That isn’t reasonable is it?

It is generally safer to lean towards liberal ideas in this game of guess the future.”
I won’t go into detail but it is usually much easier to heel turn from left to right and get away with it than to heel turn from right to left and be accepted. So I mean- at the end of the day of course business is business and it isn’t just greed but the actual law that mean it has to be; but just because people are doing business doesn’t mean there isn’t any room for personal feelings. Business doesn’t mean you can’t support people or causes you care about it, or means that if supporting them becomes bad business you’d stop.

prudently in protecting and increasing profits.
It is also the case that many brands are becoming more mindful of legacy. The concept of a company being a household name for 50,100,200 years has become common place. Huge companies with huge investments like Target etc. have very good chance at staying power as they are hard to compete with. Exercising a modicum of sense and adaptability they could theoretically remain industry leaders for the foreseeable long term future because they are so far ahead that it is hard for anyone to catch up. The trend has been increasingly to scrutinize brands and make decisions on perception, and for brands looking to be around long term and viable, it is in their interest to try to attempt to be “on the right side of history” as much as possible.

But it is usually the case that for a company to put the resources into analyzing the feasibility of justifying a specific campaign or social move they need a reason. Sometimes it is not noble- maybe they need a PR distraction or to redeem their brand image, or maybe industry metrics are released that clearly show potential from that action. That said though, it often requires someone who cares to basically say “try and find me a business reason that will let us do this…” in other words they specifically do the work to try and justify doing what they think is right but being able to show that it was a smart business move versus picking the thing that seems like a smart business move and trying to look like they care. Regardless of how much they really care, a public company is legally bound and at some point they must follow the money whichever way it goes. It isn’t even about being smart, they can be sued and leaders can be fired or criminally charged if they don’t act..

I get you. It’s not even an “evil corporation” thing. Non private companies have a legal responsibility to serve the share holders. Anything they do they need to be able to justify that it was reasonable to believe that move would make money or further the business.
So a company on the stock market that is public like Apple can’t just a bunch of money to a charity or cause because the head of the company or even every single employee thinks it’s the right thing to do.
They have to make a business case. Maybe there is a tax break, maybe they can show that in their key markets people value that cause or that companies that make such donations show higher customer retention etc. it can’t be quite so vague- you need some sort of metrics and the numbers have to add up-

Pffft, you’re one of those sheep’s who believes in the moon?’

Yeah. That was deep dark funny. Without the clap back context that could be a pretty decent line of an emo poem.

Depending on the state etc. the pay and hours, lack of breaks etc. could be justifiable legally based on the status of the photographers employment. Legal and right aren’t always the same, and in pretty much all jurisdictions, threatening that the photographer couldn’t take a break without being fired could be seen as unlawful even if the photographer is classed as a gig worker etc.

Realistically with the agreement made, the “right thing” in my mind would be to make clear that you found the actions and attitudes repugnant but delivered on the deal you made. We can say the couple was disrespectful or this or that but in the photographers own worlds the coupes didn’t deny the photographer anything that they were promised in the deal.

That is something I’d expect the photographer to know even if they aren’t a photographer because in their dog business they more than likely have dealings with the concept. I don’t know what the solution would be once the chain of events was in motion and it was too late to go back and set clear expectations etc. it may have been more appropriate for the photographer to storm out without deleting the pictures- just taking them with them, and if the couple refused to pay at that point, telling them no cash, no pics. Still harsh but it is a middle ground between giving the couple what they want and destroying those photos.