Written by Robert Scucci | Updated
It’s 2026 and everything is amazing. The cost of living has skyrocketed, and the quality of life has declined along with it. The lines are long, everything is automated, no one is paid enough to take care of him, and I don’t blame them. If you’re stuck renting to people who treat the idea of a house as an investment opportunity, don’t have a lawn to call your own, and pay a third of your income in pre-tax on everything you buy, it’s really easy to stop caring. After all, what’s the point? The average person cannot move forward, and when they do, a medical emergency or unexpected financial obstacle sets them back three years.
It’s really easy to be indifferent. But here’s the counterpoint no one tells you: it’s really easy to pretend you are do to take care of. In fact, pretending to care is a skill you should constantly hone because it will change everything for you.
From McDonald’s to the Corner Office
I’m not used to eating fast food anymore. The price just isn’t there, and finding the right order feels like a waste of money. It’s a shame because fast food should be simple and designed to be delicious. I would probably hit the drive more often on a busy day if it wasn’t so easy and cheap to cook at home. Which is unfortunate, because nothing beats a burger and fries after a long day.
The last time I had McDonald’s, I was coming home from a gig, hadn’t eaten all day, and was dreaming of the Quarter Pounder as a cartoon character cheating on a roast turkey for desert. I put my hand in the bag to check the quality before leaving. My hand, the burger box, and the bag itself were soaked, as if everything had been dipped in a grease trap and served anyway. “No big deal, I’ll just go inside and fix this,” was my thought.
When I asked for fresh food that was so watery that it fell apart, the response I got was “that’s just grease,” followed by a blank stare. After about 10 minutes of trying to get my food and go home, my exhaustion kicked in and I said, “I’m not asking you to take the sh*t out, but could you at least act like you do?” Which, honestly, is something we can all do better.
Mistakes happen. That’s right. But the general sense of injustice I feel, not just at McDonald’s but everywhere, is palpable. On the other hand, I get it. The graveyard shift is fun, and maybe I caught someone on an off day. But “sorry about that, your concern is valid, we’ll fix it” goes a long way. Pretending to care costs nothing.
When I worked as an office drone, I ran into high levels of negativity every day. So much so that when my managers and I had to distribute annual performance bonuses, we often favored employees who pretended to care. They didn’t always kill it, but they showed up, owned up to their mistakes, vowed to do better, and were generally fun to be around. On the other hand, the top players who didn’t care about anything, let everyone down because not caring about them in this kind of situation is contagious, making everyone miserable and unproductive in the process.
When I messed up an account because of my carelessness, I would listen to the client, explain what went wrong, and make sure safeguards would be put in place to prevent it from happening again.
The truth was that I really didn’t care. We were all overworked, underpaid, and constantly reminded of how expendable we were. But when I was pulled into the corner office to be chewed out, I quickly dealt with the matter, straightened things out, and moved on. People who had gone through the save zone would be able to defend themselves and fight back, not realizing how quickly things could attack them.
Actually Caring Is Better, But We Can’t Always Do That
Anyone with young children will tell you that you have a sixth sense of draining yourself when your mental bandwidth is at its peak. You’ll be on the side of the road changing a flat tire while they talk a mile a minute about their favorite. Paw Patrol episode or one of the 25 classmates in amazing detail. At those times, you may not care at all, but you do care about your children. That’s the difference. Getting to their level and letting them know they are seen and heard is all it takes. Acting like you care when you have so many pressing issues in front of you is still important. It actually means the world to them. They just want to know that you are there and listening.
For the past month I have been driving with a rotten apron coming out of my center console because my 4 year old son gave it to me. I hate that pine tree. I want to throw it out the window every time I praise the car, but every time we buckle up, he’s proud of it and more than happy that I kept it. Although I’m sure it’s a while to release the spiders.
The secret no one wants to tell you is that display is 99.99999 percent of everything. Whether you’re in a band, a bowling league, or you’re tasked with bringing something to a dinner party you’ve been dragged to, putting in even a little effort and making sure your concern is noticed. That thing you showed meant something to someone else. Going outside yourself is a great strength because it’s so easy to cancel plans. We’ve all done it. And we all have to sometimes.
You won’t always be on your A game. That is impossible. There will always be days when you can’t give a rat about anything. But pretending you care, even when you don’t, has a ripple effect that makes the daily grind more bearable for everyone around you. And more often than not, it ends up working for you again because people notice.
