Empathy
Get humans together and conflict is a real possibility— sometimes extreme, sometimes mild. One place where this butting of heads is particularly likely is the workplace.
Of course, this makes quite a lot of sense. Here’s this supercharged location, specially named “Office,” and society tells us that succeeding here is synonymous with success… and survival. The pressure is built into the system… must make money to eat, have a house and have some fun now and again. The importance many people place upon jobs leads to a certain amount of everything-must-go-my-way syndrome(EMGMWS, properly pronounced ‘emgemwas’). In other words, if things aren’t going smoothly at work survival panic might be triggered.
Left untreated EMGMWS fosters:
- Rigid attachment to your singular perspective. (i.e. I’m right and you’re wrong.)
- Decreased openness to beneficial ideas. (i.e. If I’m right and you’re wrong, I don’t have to listen to anything you say.)
- Uncharacteristic negative ‘tude spewed at individuals in your vicinity. (i.e. You’re wrong!)
On August 5th, 2013 at approximately 17:00 CST, I found myself perpetuating a bout of EMGMWS. There is an effective and surprisingly instantaneous cure for this disease. Put simply, you must ingest one chill pill and take on the perspective of whomever you feel resistance toward. However, on this overcast Monday there was not a chill pill to be found. And, had the thought of appropriating an alternate perspective appeared in my consciousness, it probably would have tasted of nail polish remover soaked asphalt— it would have been spit out…
…read the rest here.