“Ahhh,” said the man, stopping me on the street.
He was bald and stout, wearing a burnt orange robe, like a Buddhist monk. “This is for youuu…”
He handed me a small yellow card, plastic, laminated, shiny.
I was 22? Maybe 23? “What’s this?” I said.
“Work smoothly,” he said. “Lifetime peace.”
I looked at the card.
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“WORK SMOOTHLY,” it read. “LIFETIME PEACE.”
I turned it over. There was a Buddhist deity, the words “Kai guang Amu let” printed beneath her.
“Work smooooooth-ly,” the man smiled and bowed.
I smiled, too. “Thank you,” I said. And I meant it. He made me feel good, blessed.
He bowed again, deeper this time. Then he brandished a clipboard.
“What’s this?” I said, scanning the scribbles.
“Donation, please,” he said. “Three dollars, please.”
I didn’t hesitate, really. I gave it to him.
He smiled and took my money.
The Law of Reciprocity makes us feel indebted to people who give us something.
It compels us to give something back.
(If you’ve ever sampled something, you’ve experienced reciprocation #marketing, a timeless persuasion technique.)
It’s part of us, part of our psychology, which is why copywriters have always used it — and always will.
That night, I came home and emptied my pockets. I put the card on the table. My roommate glanced at it.
“You got fuggin scammed,” he said.
“Yeh,” I said. “Maybe.”
P.S.
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
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Hey there, thanks for reading. :)If you want more “micro” content, feel free to explore 100s of articles, interviews, courses, and series — all free. Enjoy!Eddie Shleyner
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