Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Adverse Reactions

Everyone reacts differently to pressure or stress at the workplace, public place, home or life at large. 

Some take it out on their colleagues, subordinates, friends or mates.  Whether their outbursts are justified or not, they don't really care.  They just have to chew up someone who happens to get in the way.  All they want is to let off some of the steam. 

Some blindly pick on the wrong victim and get bashed in return.  That's how law enforcers and doctors get more work, lawyers get clients and judges get to sit and decide who's right or wrong and who should pay whom and how much.  If they happen to be in Who's Who lists, reporters get some scoops to fill up their newspapers or magazines.

Others carry the whole thing on their own shoulders.  They get blood pressure or ulcers.  That gives doctors more business.  Some take it home and lash out blindly at whoever get in their way, as in wives, siblings, parents, or children.  Some who have no families simply go home and kick their dogs. 

For those with none of the above, they go to the gym.  Or they learn yoga. 

Many young executives I heard, went and got involved in some pill-popping or head-shaking parties.  I think that's more self-destructive than helpful.  The much better thing to do is pour yourself a drink and go to bed.

Seldom would anyone, especially in the retail business, take it out on the customer.  That would be business hara-kiri.  But some do.  And they close shop and go do something else, or they wise up and learn which side to butter their bread on.  There goes their poor dogs or cats or whatever.

Others with more knowledge or experience and have better control over their senses and coordination of their brain power, aim their pressure in the proper directions.  Employees or colleagues who get caught on the wrong foot often get the best of these fireworks.  That probably gave them the label of being dominant characters in management.  You can't fault them for that because in the corporate world you either take charge or other more dominant characters will eat you for breakfast.  Like the one who said, 'No, I don't get ulcers!  I give them away!'

If you get two such characters within the same organization, then you should sit back and watch the fireworks.  But such conditions usually don't last long.  As they say, 'two tigers cannot stay on the same mountain'. 

Meanwhile, they also say, if the heat gets too much for you, stay out of the kitchen.  Go find yourself a quiet place and meditate.  As in a monastery or temple.  Sorry, all private caves are taken.


4 comments:

  1. Good piece. My middle ground is to stay out of the big kitchen and set up your own little kitchen. Yes a customer can give you fireworks but that only lasts a few minutes at best, whereas the kind senior management lays on you can happen every day for years. Maybe that's how you get ulcers.

    Pity the world of craftsmanship has dwindled. The blacksmith, the candle maker, the clothier... all masters of their own trade, and probably happier with their lives. Now its all about mass production so up go the glass & steel towers and senior management.

    Well... they haven't been able to mass produce one thing though - good art. Paintings, music, crafts, writing. That's still safe from blood pressure and ulcers right?

    But you are a hybrid yourself. A craftsman who went through corporate life and went back to craftsmanship. Hope no dogs or cats were harmed in the journey. ^_^

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  2. Nope. No dogs or cats got in my way though. But I do still keep a punching bag. Hahaha.

    As for art, little did we know, it's already come under the curse of mass-production as seen here.
    There goes the neighborhood...

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  3. Like I always advise my team, never hold on to the ball, it grows bigger with time and when it explodes, usually it only takes down the one holding it..........

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  4. That's supposedly a good idea. But he has to know the right person to pass the ball to. Not just to toss it to someone blur, who happened to be standing there and forget to step back when asked for volunteers. That's what I saw happening most often. Maybe not under your watch, but it did happen.

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