Six weeks ago I made a life change and though each week is a bit easier, I am still struggling with the transition. When asked I explain that I retired from my full-time position and took a part-time job to stay active, but truthfully I did not retire, I quit my former employer and took a part-time job to stay afloat. I quit my full-time position for the following reasons:
Gold Medal: despite my pleas and efforts otherwise, there was no improvement for more than three of my five-and-a-half years; we merely maintained status quo.
Silver Medal: I was not appreciated as was reflected by my pay.
Bronze Medal: indifference; no effort to understand.
Honorable Mention: righteous indignation.
Honorable Mention: pretentious hesitancy.
The medals all go to power but because righteous indignation is from injustice it is more likely found outside of power and because pretentious hesitancy is from fear then ditto.
Mishandled righteous indignation can easily branch off to a perception by others of self righteous arrogance that typically redirects from progress to toxicity. I have been guilty. Power typically will not listen to righteous indignation and no one wants to listen to self righteous bombast and bluster. So to have a chance at improvement, righteous indignation must be tempered (or even replaced) with workable, reasonable, progressive steps toward improvement. The brick wall these steps often lead to though is the fact that power frequently prefers the status quo and not only hides behind bureaucracy to maintain their favorable circumstance but also encourages (or at the least does not discourage) pretense, indignation and arrogance from the powerless to further thwart and hinder progress.
So if the two options above (angry confrontation and rational discussion) simply serve the status quo, how does one properly handle righteous indignation to expose and correct injustice - to right wrongs? In my experience with this former employer, I was unable to find a way, so I finally felt I had no choice but to quit.
Silver Lining:
If I quit because there was no improvement and if my resignation (for a time) makes things worse, then this loss will create a more immediate opportunity for improvement and now that I am gone those who are left can work harder to make up for the loss and pat themselves on the back and feel like they’ve really accomplished something when they eventually get back to the plateau we previously occupied together and those in power have not only maintained status quo but have also refocused energies on the demands of day-to-day improvement thus distracting from the overlay of injustice.
Yay!
Go Team!
