Choices

Trials will come to us all and none may be excluded. Recently, I was made aware of the difficulty in dealing with situations which may be among the most common for those of us employed by less than honorable people.

A couple of weeks back, I was reprimanded for something that did not take place. In other words, I was lied about and instead of being asked if such a thing took place, I was reprimanded first. Later that week, I was again accused of something that was not true and found myself behind another closed door defending myself. When I finally departed from that job and moved on, I figured such things were behind me, but the day after I was gone, I returned for yet another reprimand. This one for keeping paper that I found in the garbage. True, I was guilty of this last offense, but couldn’t help but think of the responses I could have (should have?) mounted for such blatant harassment. Was it harassment or was it simply abuse of power by my supervisor intent on causing me difficulty?

Either way, it was petty and childish.

I could have gone to H.R. and provided the long list of attacks (Which go beyond those listed) presenting the incidents one by one and the immediate and harsh reactions done against me. I could have confronted my accuser and pointed out how small minded they are and how pointless their lives must be to find purpose in harassing an employee already walking out the door. I could have gone to every friend in the department and told them what was taking place, asking their advice as I ensured the department head and her eager minions were revealed for who and what they are.

I could have done all these things and more.

What did I do? Nothing. I decided to simply cut myself out of the situation and move on. I remembered an old saying about a pig which made me feel it was the right thing to do. The saying went something like: “If you try to wrestle with a pig, you both get covered in mud and in the end the pig will be the only one who enjoyed himself.”

I am endeavoring to start again with a new job, new challenges and, hopefully, new friends and co-workers. Had I “stirred the pot” my beginnings would be tarnished by the negativity of my prior supervisor. It is much better to do what I can to put the matter(s) behind me in order to move ahead.

Was it the right thing? I can’t say. Some people love the fray and take every slight as a challenge to be conquered. I may someday find myself unable to avoid such an altercation, but I would rather choose my battles. After all, in the end, I would like to have a clear conscience about what I say and do. This is especially true when pushed to the wall by those with smaller minds.