It may be due to shyness, fear, pride or some other characteristic but many people are reluctant to ask for things. "I shouldn't have to ask" they'll say and - truth be known - they shouldn't. If the world were awash in sensitivity other people would know this individual requires something. Unfortunately, need is frequently blanketed by indifference.
Their complaint that "I would do it for them" is as irrelevant as it is correct. The fact is the average person struggles through life with so many personal concerns - "Is my tie straight?" - they barely have time to notice the friend in the corner who is sending a nonverbal SOS. In some cases even a clear statement of need would only elicit a blank stare. Admission would be quickly challenged by denial: "You're doing fine!"
A friend of mine once told me about a relative whose sixth sense was so finely developed that he would show up just when things were about to turn south. She said this relative would simply announce, "I felt you could use some help" and then, once assistance was rendered, would disappear to his home in another city.
If only more of us were so alert.
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