BIGOTRY, BEDDING, AND BAD ADVICE
WHAT A WEEK IT HAS BEEN, READERS, AND WHAT A WEEK IT WILL BE. PERHAPS YOU KNOW THE FEELING I FEEL NOW, BUT IF NOT, I WILL ATTEMPT TO DESCRIBE IT FOR YOU. IT IS A SENSE THAT YOU HAVE SPENT NEARLY ALL OF YOURSELF TO GET WHERE YOU ARE NOW, FOLLOWED BY A REALIZATION THAT YOU WILL NEED TO GIVE THAT MUCH AGAIN OR MORE SOON AFTER. YOU FEEL AT FIRST ASTONISHED AND THEN DESPAIRING. BUT IF YOU STAY WITH THIS FEELING, IF YOU GIVE IT TIME TO WORK ON YOU AS IT MUST, YOU WILL CONCLUDE (AS I HAVE) THAT WHAT WAS SPENT BEFORE IS A REPLENISHABLE RESOURCE, AND WHAT WILL BE NEEDED CAN BE FOUND ALONG THE WAY. TO FEEL THIS WAY AND KNOW THAT SOMEHOW, YOU WILL SURVIVE IT—THAT IS THE FEELING OF BECOMING STRONGER.
I COME TO YOU BIDDEN BY THREE QUESTIONS. I COME TO YOU BEARING THREE ANSWERS. I MUST CAUTION YOU, AS EVER, TO SEE ME AS A FRIEND AND A GUIDE, FOR THAT IS ALL I CAN CLAIM. I AM NOT A CREDENTIALED COUNSELOR YET, ALTHOUGH MY TRAINING IN THIS DISCIPLINE HAS FORMALLY BEGUN. THERE WILL COME A DAY WHEN I NO LONGER NEED TO PREFACE THESE COLUMNS WITH DISCLAIMERS, BUT IT IS NOT TODAY.
OUR FIRST LETTER COMES FROM HATER MITIGATOR OF DS13 FACILITIES, WHO WRITES:
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YOUR BOSS MUST BE CONFRONTED, MITIGATOR — THEIR HATEFUL WORDS CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO SPREAD UNCHALLENGED. DOUBTLESS YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE LISTENING TO YOUR EMPLOYER SPIT VENOM AND FEELING SICK IN THEIR HEART. BUT LIKE YOU, THESE OTHERS MAY FEEL ALONE IN THEIR TROUBLES, UNCERTAIN WHETHER ANYONE ELSE SHARES THEIR CONCERN. ONLY WHEN ONE BRAVE INDIVIDUAL MAKES A STAND AND DECLARES THAT TOLERATION OF THE HATER’S INTOLERANCE IS AT AN END WILL YOU KNOW HOW MANY OTHERS AGREE. SO I URGE YOU, DO NOT WAIT; BE THAT BOLD, HEROIC INDIVIDUAL YOURSELF AND MAKE THAT DAY TODAY.
BUT THIS SOUNDS TOO EASY, DOESN’T IT? FOR I UNDERSTAND IT IS EASIER SAID THAN DONE. YOU SAY YOU LIKE YOUR JOB, AND WITH THIS HATER IN A POSITION OF POWER OVER YOU, ANY STAND YOU TAKE JEOPARDIZES YOUR LIVELIHOOD. IF YOU MEAN TO GO ON WORKING WITH THIS SAME BOSS, YOU MUST FIND A WAY TO VICTORY WITHOUT DESTROYING THE WORKING RELATIONSHIP YOU SHARE.
IN SHORT, YOU MUST MAKE OF YOUR FOE A FRIEND, WHICH MEANS YOUR TRUE FOE IS NOT THE BOSS, BUT THEIR DEMONS. YOU MUST CAUTIOUSLY PROBE THIS VOLATILE TERRITORY AND SEEK OUT THE CAUSES OF THE HATER’S FEAR AND PAIN — FOR THESE ARE THE EMOTIONS AT THE ROOT OF ALL HATE. YOU CANNOT SLAY YOUR EMPLOYER’S DEMONS YOURSELF, BUT WITH PATIENCE AND TACT YOU CAN EXPOSE THEM AND DEMONSTRATE THE HARM THESE PARASITES DO TO THEIR HOST. PERHAPS YOUR BOSS MAY NEED TO SEEK COUNSELING, OR AT LEAST A TRUSTWORTHY ADVICE COLUMN.
VICTORY IN THIS QUEST IS BY NO MEANS ASSURED, MITIGATOR. A HEART CANNOT BE CHANGED AGAINST ITS OWN WILL. BUT IF YOU CAN FIND THE COURAGE TO CHALLENGE THIS HATER’S MALEVOLENCE AS A FRIEND, YOU STAND A CHANCE OF MAKING A TRUE DIFFERENCE IN THIS PERSON’S LIFE AND THOSE OF EVERYONE AROUND THEM.
JUST MAKE SURE YOUR C.V. AND REFERENCES ARE UP TO DATE FIRST!
NEXT, A CREWPERSON FROM THE SHIP (HELLO AGAIN!) ASKS:
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LEARN FROM MY HARD-WON EXPERIENCE, CREWPERSON: STARFLEET DISAPPROVES OF THE SEIZURE OF MATERIAL GOODS BY FORCE, NO MATTER HOW JUSTIFIED! I WILL PRESUME THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY EXPLORED THE OBVIOUS SOLUTIONS — THE REPLICATOR, THE QUARTERMASTER, THE SHOPS OF THE DS13 PROMENADE — OR ELSE YOU WOULD NOT BE WRITING TO ME. FEAR NOT, GOOD CREWPERSON, FOR I AM AT YOUR SERVICE. WE WILL NOT SETTLE FOR UNSATISFYING BEDDING. WE WILL INSTEAD QUEST TIRELESSLY, CROSSING THE WHOLE OF THE GALAXY IF NECESSARY, TO FIND THE BEDDING THAT MAKES YOUR SOUL SING.
ASK YOURSELF, WHEN HAVE YOU KNOWN TRULY SUFFICIENT BEDDING IN YOUR LIFE? WAS THERE ONCE A BED YOU LOVED AND LOST? THEN YOU MUST RETRACE YOUR STEPS TO THE BEGINNING AND EXAMINE HOW YOU FOUND THAT PERFECT BEDDING IN THE FIRST PLACE. PERHAPS THERE ARE LESSONS TO BE LEARNED THAT WILL HELP YOU FIND NEW BEDDING JUST AS SUFFICIENT AS BEFORE. OR ARE YOU SEARCHING FOR AN IDEAL THAT YOU HAVE NEVER FOUND IN YOUR WAKING LIFE? IN THAT CASE, YOUR SEARCH WILL TAKE YOU INWARD, TO THE DARKEST CORNERS OF YOUR MIND WHERE YOUR HIDDEN DESIRES DWELL. ASK YOURSELF WHETHER ANY BEDDING CAN EVER TRULY SUFFICE, OR IF YOU HAVE SET YOUR STANDARDS SO HIGH THAT NO BED WILL EVER SATISFY.
YOUR TASK IS FORMIDABLE, CREWPERSON, BUT KNOW THAT I AM WITH YOU, READY TO GIVE COUNSEL WHENEVER YOU ASK. PONDER THE FORM YOUR QUEST FOR BEDDING WILL TAKE, AND WRITE BACK TO RECEIVE FURTHER GUIDANCE.
FINALLY, MY OLD COMRADE IN ARMS START2CRATE FROM DS13 OPS WRITES:
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AND YOU ARE DOING A VERY FINE JOB, START2CRATE. I HAVE NOT NOTICED ANY MAJOR SYSTEM OUTAGES OR SERVICE DISRUPTIONS SINCE THE PUBLICATION OF MY COLUMN ON REPLICATOR MAINTENANCE. WHAT ELSE CAN I CONCLUDE BUT THAT YOU AND THE STALWART OFFICERS OF THE OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT HAVE EVERYTHING WELL IN HAND?
THE LABOR I HAVE UNDERTAKEN IS DONE, BUT BECAUSE IT WAS DONE WITH LOVE, IT WAS NO BURDEN AT ALL. INDEED, YOUR QUESTIONS AND KIND WORDS SUSTAIN ME THROUGH TIMES OF DOUBT AND DISTRESS, TO WHICH NOT EVEN I AM IMPERVIOUS. I DO NOT KNOW IF MY SCHEDULE OF TEACHING AND ATTENDING CLASSES AT THE ACADEMY WILL PERMIT ME TO KEEP THIS COLUMN GOING INDEFINITELY, BUT I VOW TO SERVE YOU FOR AS LONG AS I CAN WITHOUT DOING MYSELF HARM. WE MUST EACH BE MINDFUL OF OUR LIMITS AND TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES, EVEN AS WE STRIVE TO TAKE CARE OF OTHERS. SO GO FORTH AND BE SOMEONE’S SAVIOR TODAY, IF YOU CAN; BUT IF NOT, IT IS ENOUGH JUST TO SAVE YOURSELF FOR ANOTHER CHANCE TOMORROW. QAPLA’, DEAR READERS.
OOC As always, you can ask H’ajah your burning questions via this form.