What's he on about now?

In case the articles, essays and opinions throughtout this site just weren't enough for you, here's my online diary (a.k.a. 'blog'). It's as close as you'll come to the inside of my head, so don't say I didn't warn you
(and remember, you can always e-mail me if you love or loathe anything you're about to read)...


   Wednesday, May 21, 2003

ONE DOOR CLOSES...

My roommate Jerry's been unhappy these last couple weeks because one of his friendships has soured. Hurtful comments have come from both sides and a rekindling doesn't appear likely. Nevertheless, he's been desperate to talk to this person again so he can achieve "closure." This strikes me as futile and a bit sad. "As painful as it is," I told him, "this person has said he doesn't want to talk anymore. That's closure." Jerry doesn't agree, and maybe I'm being too hard, but I've never understood that desire for a tidy ending. It seems to me that life is a series of endings, most of them untidy.

My stint at the record store, for instance -- which I'd hoped would be good for me -- appears to be winding down. While I love working in a retail environment, I'd forgotten about the penny-pinching soullessness that infects the industry. In response to the SARS hysteria driving away half the customers from downtown Toronto these last many weeks, the record chain's head office is threatening to fire the manager of our store for not meeting their imposed sales targets.

What's especially upsetting about this is that these sales targets are based on the fantastic job that this man has done for them. Having come in and nearly doubled their sales last year, he has been rewarded by the demand to produce the same gains this year or be fired. That lack of gratitude, of simple fairness, is appalling yet so common in retail circles. Every day is a study in human greed.

My boss is a wonderful guy -- knowledgeable, decisive, honest and funny -- and as this chain has no respect for him, what hope is there? Why stay on and work to make money for them when they care so little in return? If he's fired, I won't want to be there anymore but they'll barely notice if some lesser employee leaves OR stays. And where's the closure in that?

Labels: Trawna