Friday, March 12, 2004
I'm going to share a work story with ya'll today.
It's about midnight, and I'm typing away at my desk. I hear someone calling my name, a girl named Brenda. I enter the room to see her, a guy named Pierre, and two carts full of certificate books. She asks if Pierre and I can move the carts into the book room, because they're too heavy for her.
So my question is, why are women so lazy?
Just kidding. I'll move on. ;)
So I, being a noble gentleman, agree to move a cart. I wheel it in to the bookroom, all the while admiring how not heavy the cart is (I'm just asking to get slapped). Pierre leaves the room, while I ask Brenda if she needs any help putting the books up. She says she can do it on her own. Okay, fine, so I go back to my desk.
Here's where things get interesting.
As I sit down, I realize I have to use the restroom. (Next, I'll "realize" that I have to breathe. Sigh.) So I get right back up and I head off to the restroom.
As I cross through the book room, I notice Brenda out of the corner of my eye talking on the phone. I grimace. All of us have been lectured on using the phone while not on break. Brenda was taking it a step further, using a task she'd been given as an excuse to be near a phone that wasn't in front of our supervisor.
I say nothing. It's not my place to tattle.
Fast forward an hour.
As I'm walking through the front of the building, returning from asking a coworker a question, I spot Brenda sitting next to the front exit door. Curious, I go over to her, and the following conversation takes place.
David: What's wrong?
Brenda: I got fired.
David: You're joking. No you didn't.
Brenda: Yes I did.
David: No way.
Brenda: Yeah, I did. What, you think I couldn't be fired?
David: What happened?
Brenda: They suspended me, and I don't think I'm coming back.
David: Why'd they do that?
Brenda: They said I was on the phone when I shouldn't be.
David: Were you?
Brenda: No, but they're gonna say I was.
David: Well, I'm sorry. That's too bad.
I then walk off, annoyed and disgusted. The girl lied right to my face. Instead of owning up to her mistake, she used the "they're jealous and picking on me and have it out for me 'cuz blah blah blah" line. And if she didn't want to tell me, fine. But why lie to me? Why try to pawn off our supervisor, who is doing his job, as a bad guy who gets his rocks off firing people he doesn't like?
It's weird, actually, because I know exactly why she did it. Self-preservartion, both of her reputation and her self-image. She doesn't want people to think that she's a bad person. She certainly doesn't want to think of herself as a bad person. So she'll keep adding layers of lies ("I didn't do it" "They're out to get me") in order to keep convincing others- and herself- that she doesn't have major character flaws.
At the same time, I don't get it at all. There are so many people in this world that deny the existence of their imperfections. The phrase "Nobody's perfect" is thrown up all the time, but is typically interpreted as "nobody's perfect- except me".
Oh, people will admit to not being perfect. They'll even name some of their flaws. The problem is, the flaws typically named in the quest to show off a person's humbleness are frequently of the "I'm so good that it's a flaw" variety. Here's some well-known examples:
"I'm too trusting."
"I'm too nice."
"I'm too honest."
"I'm not cynical enough."
Notice how all of these "flaws" are in reality a way to pimp oneself. When you are asked or need to admit to a shortcoming, and the best you can do is "I'm so honest, it hurts", then you do end up showing off your character flaw...just not in the way you intended.
It's been a day since all of this happened, and the best info I've been able to glean as to Brenda's side of the story is that "I was so good at my job, so-and-so got jealous and made up stories".
People, when a situation calls for owning up to the ugliness inherent in yourself and everyone else, suck it in and own up to it. Failing to do so is not only pointless, but detrimental to your cause. If you choose to come up with all sorts of fun ways as to why something isn't your fault and how you're such a glowing angel that you got in trouble for it, that's just revealing a character flaw through denial.
The trouble is, that's just the kind of character flaw that people cannot afford to forgive and forget. If you cannot take responsibility for yourself, your word, and your actions, how can someone ever depend on you?
I just don't understand how a person can lie to your face. I don't get why a person allows themselves to shift blame that is rightfully theirs onto someone else. I never have.
I may procrastinate like crazy. I may not give 100% to something I don't really care about. However, when I'm called on it, I own up to it. I then try and do my best to overcome those flaws inherent in my character.
That's the human condition. Life is all about overcoming yourself. Defeating the limits and flaws that you were born with. That's what determines how well you lived your life.
If you must lie to others, fine.
Never lie to yourself.
It's about midnight, and I'm typing away at my desk. I hear someone calling my name, a girl named Brenda. I enter the room to see her, a guy named Pierre, and two carts full of certificate books. She asks if Pierre and I can move the carts into the book room, because they're too heavy for her.
So my question is, why are women so lazy?
Just kidding. I'll move on. ;)
So I, being a noble gentleman, agree to move a cart. I wheel it in to the bookroom, all the while admiring how not heavy the cart is (I'm just asking to get slapped). Pierre leaves the room, while I ask Brenda if she needs any help putting the books up. She says she can do it on her own. Okay, fine, so I go back to my desk.
Here's where things get interesting.
As I sit down, I realize I have to use the restroom. (Next, I'll "realize" that I have to breathe. Sigh.) So I get right back up and I head off to the restroom.
As I cross through the book room, I notice Brenda out of the corner of my eye talking on the phone. I grimace. All of us have been lectured on using the phone while not on break. Brenda was taking it a step further, using a task she'd been given as an excuse to be near a phone that wasn't in front of our supervisor.
I say nothing. It's not my place to tattle.
Fast forward an hour.
As I'm walking through the front of the building, returning from asking a coworker a question, I spot Brenda sitting next to the front exit door. Curious, I go over to her, and the following conversation takes place.
David: What's wrong?
Brenda: I got fired.
David: You're joking. No you didn't.
Brenda: Yes I did.
David: No way.
Brenda: Yeah, I did. What, you think I couldn't be fired?
David: What happened?
Brenda: They suspended me, and I don't think I'm coming back.
David: Why'd they do that?
Brenda: They said I was on the phone when I shouldn't be.
David: Were you?
Brenda: No, but they're gonna say I was.
David: Well, I'm sorry. That's too bad.
I then walk off, annoyed and disgusted. The girl lied right to my face. Instead of owning up to her mistake, she used the "they're jealous and picking on me and have it out for me 'cuz blah blah blah" line. And if she didn't want to tell me, fine. But why lie to me? Why try to pawn off our supervisor, who is doing his job, as a bad guy who gets his rocks off firing people he doesn't like?
It's weird, actually, because I know exactly why she did it. Self-preservartion, both of her reputation and her self-image. She doesn't want people to think that she's a bad person. She certainly doesn't want to think of herself as a bad person. So she'll keep adding layers of lies ("I didn't do it" "They're out to get me") in order to keep convincing others- and herself- that she doesn't have major character flaws.
At the same time, I don't get it at all. There are so many people in this world that deny the existence of their imperfections. The phrase "Nobody's perfect" is thrown up all the time, but is typically interpreted as "nobody's perfect- except me".
Oh, people will admit to not being perfect. They'll even name some of their flaws. The problem is, the flaws typically named in the quest to show off a person's humbleness are frequently of the "I'm so good that it's a flaw" variety. Here's some well-known examples:
"I'm too trusting."
"I'm too nice."
"I'm too honest."
"I'm not cynical enough."
Notice how all of these "flaws" are in reality a way to pimp oneself. When you are asked or need to admit to a shortcoming, and the best you can do is "I'm so honest, it hurts", then you do end up showing off your character flaw...just not in the way you intended.
It's been a day since all of this happened, and the best info I've been able to glean as to Brenda's side of the story is that "I was so good at my job, so-and-so got jealous and made up stories".
People, when a situation calls for owning up to the ugliness inherent in yourself and everyone else, suck it in and own up to it. Failing to do so is not only pointless, but detrimental to your cause. If you choose to come up with all sorts of fun ways as to why something isn't your fault and how you're such a glowing angel that you got in trouble for it, that's just revealing a character flaw through denial.
The trouble is, that's just the kind of character flaw that people cannot afford to forgive and forget. If you cannot take responsibility for yourself, your word, and your actions, how can someone ever depend on you?
I just don't understand how a person can lie to your face. I don't get why a person allows themselves to shift blame that is rightfully theirs onto someone else. I never have.
I may procrastinate like crazy. I may not give 100% to something I don't really care about. However, when I'm called on it, I own up to it. I then try and do my best to overcome those flaws inherent in my character.
That's the human condition. Life is all about overcoming yourself. Defeating the limits and flaws that you were born with. That's what determines how well you lived your life.
If you must lie to others, fine.
Never lie to yourself.
Comments:
Post a Comment
