I can break up the emails I send and telephone calls I make into three categories.
1] The receiver expects to make money off me or otherwise receive some type of concrete benefit.
2] I am asking for some type of favor for myself or someone else.
3] Miscellaneous.
Now, how often do I receive a response?
1] 100 percent of the time. Baruch Hashem!!
2] Very often I am ignored. Recently [to give one example of far too many to count], I contacted an old friend [some would call him a talmid] who has become fantastically successful in his field to ask him to do a favor for another Jew that would cost no money and only take a few minutes. He ignored me. I sent him a provocative email wondering about the lack of response which I deemed a breach of basic derech eretz. He quickly responded by making up some story about how his email wasn't working [but by the time I sent the second one it was working again somehow] and told me that he will not do the favor [which is why he didn't respond in the first place]. Now maybe his email really wasn't working. Maybe. But I also know that he lies when he has too. Who knows..... If I had to bet a LOT OF MONEY, I would bet he saw the first email seconds after I sent it because he walks around with a smartphone. That is my extremely strong gut feeling. Hashem gave me accurate gut feelings which prove afterwards to be on the mark close to 100 percent of the time. [This would be a good segue to launch into a discussion of when one is obligated to judge favorably but maybe for another time].
3] Sometimes I receive a response and at other times I am ignored.
The obvious conclusion is that people generally do what is best for themselves even at the expense of others. This expresses itself in many areas of life. The avodah of a Jew is to try as much as possible to treat every person as if his or her needs were as important as one's own.
But if that would happen, Moshiach would come.....
