So many people have turned their lives into an assembly line of work, eat and sleep that they become immune to feelings, even their own feelings. The primary purpose of work, which is to help our lives become happier and more joyful, gets lost as work becomes an end in itself.
One time in Hong Kong, we were going through some electronic goods in a downtown shop. Since I would be paying for it with my hard-earned money, I wanted to be sure that I was getting a good buy, so I carefully inspected the products. Hong Kong shopkeepers are known for their direct, restless, and sugar-free style of selling, and one such shopkeeper was the jaded face behind this particular counter. He suddenly screeched out: "What, are you going to buy it or not?! If you want it then buy it!"
I was quite taken aback but I bought the items anyway. I wanted to react to the salesman but, well, the poor guy must have been so "routinized" with his work that I just had to lend him my infinitely expandable patience. Work and work and more work made people forget about the basics of service. (During the SARS epidemic, with the former British colony hitting rock bottom in tourist arrivals, authorities finally made an honest effort to make its commercial districts friendlier to foreigners.)
When your life is attuned to serving, your needs will always be met. When your life is too concentrated on pursuing your needs, your needs will always elude you. Now, observe also how you feel when someone is very giving toward you. And observe also how you feel when someone is trying to get something from you. How do you feel about giving to that person? You simply don't want to. Learn to share, to give, to serve, and you end up the winner.