Random post.
The old expression was (I think) "people who need people are the happiest people in the world". If you look at the self-help literature nowadays, "people who need people" are viewed as dysfunctional. Well, this is my take.
No person can build himself up into a self-sufficient island. We are wired to want meaningful human contact. And even besides that..
At a VERY basic level: When I stop to go get my coffee in the morning, I'm hoping that the barista finds me tolerable enough so that she doesn't put arsenic into my coffee (I hear arsenic tastes like almond). Then when I go to work after that, I hope the boss likes me enough to keep letting me into the front door and allowing me to earn a paycheck that keeps a roof over my head. Then when I stop to get my car serviced at lunch on occasion, I hope the mechanics are decent enough to fix my car properly so I don't discover their errors by getting stranded on the highway in the 95-degree heat. Finally, when I stop at Whole Foods at the end of the day, I hope they find me respectable enough to actually let me into the door to buy my food.
So we care about how other people view us. I think it's perfectly natural to care (and not a sign of weakness), because on some level we are reliant on them for our survival. I suppose that if I were a lion, tiger, or bear and could just chase my food down and overpower it, I wouldn't be so dependent on the commerce system to allow me to just buy my meals. Not to mention that I wouldn't have to buy shelter and transportation. But well, I'm not, and so in the meanwhile...
I suppose some reading this are saying that I could learn to grow my own food, diagnose and fix my own car (that is becoming harder and harder as everything becomes run by more intricate electronics), and take my own medical care into my own hands. But how well would that really work. I'm not sure I'd be a decent farmer (I don't kill plants but I don't have a green thumb), mechanic (I'm decent with my hands but no doubt others are better), or doctor (I'm done with school!)
Someone can and ought to, first of all, become more self-reliant. It's great to know how to cook, drive a stick, change a tire, and (thanks to strength training) be able to take care of myself physically. Someone can and ought to, secondly, develop skills that make his presence more valued by other people. Some skills are professional (someone is more valuable learning a new programming language), some are personal (someone's company is more desirable when they know how to really listen to others say). That I think is meaningful self-development.
I would say that the biggest thing one can strive for is a cause to fight for. If you think about all the people we admire, it is those who keep pushing for something great, even as they face critics. Something better for themselves or others. It doesn't have to be high-profile. It has to be something that gives you a sense of satisfaction, a sense of contribution.
We all love and admire passion. Why does everyone dig scars? What do you think they signify?
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Employers, Ray Allen leaving and New England sports fans
It's been a while since I have written. Today I am going to take on a new subject.
I am a big Boston Celtics fan, and I was saddened to hear that Ray Allen signed with Miami. BUT, I think the anger that many New England fans feel is short-sighted.
People leave employers all the time for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it is about things besides money. Things such as how satisfied you feel in your role in the company and even how respected you feel in your line of work.
I know, because I have left an employer for reasons like that. The company was very good to me and I really liked the people I worked with, but I felt forced to play "out of position" and I felt my best talents were going underused. It wasn't anyone's fault, it was just the nature of the business and the styles of the people who ran the place. Anyway, I accepted another job offer while I was working on an important project for the company that I was working for at the time. I really wanted to leave the company I was working for at the time in a better place, so I postponed my start date for my position with the new company by a couple of weeks, and (before I told my current employer at the time that I would soon be leaving) I spent my last few weeks busting tail to finish the project I was working on for my current employer at the time. After spending a week straight of really late nights at the office, I was finally satisfied with what I had done with the project, and I delivered it the next day to my current employer at the time and they were very happy with it. Then the next day, after I delivered my project, I gave my notice. To this day I'm proud of the fact that I didn't lay down my last few weeks on the job (in fact, I worked my ass off to finish the task at hand) and I believe they appreciated my efforts as well. My last day they took me to lunch, and they gave me some extra money my last paycheck.
They didn't lobby too hard to keep me when I gave my notice though because they'd be fine without me. And they were. Anyway, my former employer and I are on good terms. Why wouldn't we be? We treated each other well. I did leave, but I worked hard to deliver the goods for their money.
Anyway, getting back to Ray Allen, it was a pleasure to watch him play for the past 5 years. He was a huge part of the 2007-2008 NBA Championship. Meanwhile, it sounds that he made all sorts of sacrifices to fit in. In his last few weeks with the Celtics, he played hurt and still scored in double figures a game. So, what exactly does he owe the Celtics? What's more, he had to accept falling behind on the pecking order to younger teammates (Avery Bradley replaced him in the starting line-up, supposedly on behest of Rajon Rondo which is just how things sometimes go in professional sports but it still must have been hard for someone who was making the All-Star team when Bradley and Rondo were still kids).
Ray Allen also had to endure trade rumors. He nearly went to Memphis in March. Isn't loyalty a two-way street?
Last but not least, I didn't even talk about all the community service Ray Allen did in Boston.
New England fans are intensely passionate. But I think they forget that athletes are human too and have to deal with issues on their job too. One such issue that most people don't have to deal with is having to step aside or accept a lesser role as they get older even after years of All-Star performance. Anyway, many sports fans don't accept the athlete's prerogative to look for the best fit for him. Just as anyone else has the right to look for a new employer if he isn't happy with his current employer.
I am a big Boston Celtics fan, and I was saddened to hear that Ray Allen signed with Miami. BUT, I think the anger that many New England fans feel is short-sighted.
People leave employers all the time for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it is about things besides money. Things such as how satisfied you feel in your role in the company and even how respected you feel in your line of work.
I know, because I have left an employer for reasons like that. The company was very good to me and I really liked the people I worked with, but I felt forced to play "out of position" and I felt my best talents were going underused. It wasn't anyone's fault, it was just the nature of the business and the styles of the people who ran the place. Anyway, I accepted another job offer while I was working on an important project for the company that I was working for at the time. I really wanted to leave the company I was working for at the time in a better place, so I postponed my start date for my position with the new company by a couple of weeks, and (before I told my current employer at the time that I would soon be leaving) I spent my last few weeks busting tail to finish the project I was working on for my current employer at the time. After spending a week straight of really late nights at the office, I was finally satisfied with what I had done with the project, and I delivered it the next day to my current employer at the time and they were very happy with it. Then the next day, after I delivered my project, I gave my notice. To this day I'm proud of the fact that I didn't lay down my last few weeks on the job (in fact, I worked my ass off to finish the task at hand) and I believe they appreciated my efforts as well. My last day they took me to lunch, and they gave me some extra money my last paycheck.
They didn't lobby too hard to keep me when I gave my notice though because they'd be fine without me. And they were. Anyway, my former employer and I are on good terms. Why wouldn't we be? We treated each other well. I did leave, but I worked hard to deliver the goods for their money.
Anyway, getting back to Ray Allen, it was a pleasure to watch him play for the past 5 years. He was a huge part of the 2007-2008 NBA Championship. Meanwhile, it sounds that he made all sorts of sacrifices to fit in. In his last few weeks with the Celtics, he played hurt and still scored in double figures a game. So, what exactly does he owe the Celtics? What's more, he had to accept falling behind on the pecking order to younger teammates (Avery Bradley replaced him in the starting line-up, supposedly on behest of Rajon Rondo which is just how things sometimes go in professional sports but it still must have been hard for someone who was making the All-Star team when Bradley and Rondo were still kids).
Ray Allen also had to endure trade rumors. He nearly went to Memphis in March. Isn't loyalty a two-way street?
Last but not least, I didn't even talk about all the community service Ray Allen did in Boston.
New England fans are intensely passionate. But I think they forget that athletes are human too and have to deal with issues on their job too. One such issue that most people don't have to deal with is having to step aside or accept a lesser role as they get older even after years of All-Star performance. Anyway, many sports fans don't accept the athlete's prerogative to look for the best fit for him. Just as anyone else has the right to look for a new employer if he isn't happy with his current employer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)