REFLECTIONS FROM THE REARVIEW
  • Home
  • Hello and Welcome
  • Blog
  • Worth Repeating
  • My Book
  • FAQ

Prince

9/14/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
Someone I know and like very much just got turfed out of a high position. It was not that he was bad at doing his job. He made the error of challenging the unethical machinations of his managing director. Such mistakes can be fatal to your career trajectory. 

The thing you never think too hard about when studying for a certain profession, is ethics. In Canada, members of the Law Association have been approached about their personal ethics by social justice activists. They have been pressed to sign a posted statement of beliefs on certain social justice issues on the threat they may lose their license to practise if they refuse. It is an unethical push, because they are not free to choose their own ethics. So it goes, even in a profession where your reputation must be impeccable, you are being compromised in matters of conscience. 

No one should be surprised that they may find the worst breaches of ethics in the workplace, even the corporate workplace. Very little experience will show you that politics is king, and that smart people “play the game” as it were. 

I have seen the very worst treatment of other human beings dished out in the world of business. There, terrible things are whitewashed with the idea that is it ‘just business’, after all. Don’t count the bodies because the bodies don’t count as much as the bottom line. That would include some rather pedestrian practises such as layoffs that occur on Christmas Eve so as to clear the books for the New Year, all the way down to outright breaches of labour law. They can afford bigger lawyers than you, and they can outlast you. Hence, the first knee-jerk transaction for companies, is whatever they think they can get away with, because they calculate you are not going to roll the dice against them. 

Then there is the clandestine world of those trolls who see all of this, and pile on with the worst of behaviour. This includes sleeping their way up, to the usual kind of backstabbing and personal malice, all cloaked in passive-aggressive virtue as some kind of nod to the workplace. The rat pack has identified an enemy who must be eliminated, and of course it is all about work, nothing personal at all. 

I have been part of a three-way team, where the other two were the team lead, and the one sleeping with the team lead. Now that can get ugly. The team lead and his female toady (both married to other people) would disappear for long lunches and come back looking flushed and happy. She would get a bounce in her step, and she would get stroppy with me and a lot of other people. Kneel and kiss the ring, or I am going to make you wish you were never born. When that all blew up, the leader bounced me from his team without making explanation, as a statement of his displeasure. It was a way to try to make me look bad in front of the rest of the company, so that he could continue his career of hiring young women, and fishing off the dock with impunity. 

There is also simply the matter of internal jealousies. One of my worst mistakes was to disclose to another freelancer the rate I was charging. When he found I was making significantly more than him, he made it his business to try to sandbag me at every turn. It was an ugly chapter in my career history, but fortunately for all, history is long and it always tells the truth in the end. That certain character toned down a bit once his maleficence bloomed to full fruition in his personal life. When he was dealing with assault charges from beating on his live-in and her kid at home, it took the starch out of his sails at work. His appetite for causing trouble calmed down a bit. 

Meanwhile, I have had to make some decisions in my career, and one of those was that I would always be ethical and treat other people in the manner I would like to be treated, paying no attention to job title, or whether it would benefit me personally. I am not alone. There is a vast sea of people out there I have brushed shoulders with who are wonderful, and very talented. They fly under the radar when politics rears its ugly head and that is part of why I like them. I think we comprise the silent majority. Like any slice of life, there is a great barrel of apples with a few rotten ones thrown in. 

For those who like to read, there are certain books that you should read in a lifetime. One is “The Prince” by Niccolò Machiavelli‎, a sixteenth century Italian ruler. His little tome has resonated throughout history because it just found so much traction in the real world. If you read “The Prince” you will find that it is a primer for how to get ahead, by the most unethical means possible. 

His advice asserts that it is acceptable for a ruler to deceive his people, that cruelty is reasonable, that Christianity is a bad influence, that it was good to be feared and that the ends always justifies the means. It sounds almost like the modern workplace and how it often operates. It also sounds like government once you peel back the thin veneer of outer appearances. 

None of this should surprise anybody. As a Christian, I am well aware of “The Prince” from the Bible. He is of course, Christ’s adversary and the accuser of mankind. He is most often referred to as “prince of the power of the air”. If you see evil flourish in high places, don’t be surprised at all. In Ephesians chapter six, Saint Paul advises, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 

Elsewhere in the Bible, Jesus openly admits that the power structures of this world as we know it, are at present, under the evil machinations of the “Prince of the Power of the Air” that is to say, the present governor of how things shake down in the here and now. This is evident in the scenario where Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. The “Prince” offered him all manner of earthly delights under his control if Jesus would but bend the knee and worship him. In that scenario, you see the basics of how people sell their souls for short-term gain. 

Not to be dismayed. In the beginning of Ephesians chapter six, Paul also advises us to look at things a little differently. The world is a skewed place, at least for now. Evil often appears to win out. Paul tells us therefore to do all of our work as unto Christ, not as man pleasers. That is the best arrangement possible I think, until Christ returns to judge all that the world has turned into. 

Like Bob Dylan said, “you gotta serve somebody”. I think I decided long ago that I am not working for “The Man”, I am working for the Son of Man, and that makes all the difference. 
1 Comment
bill Dobson
11/27/2019 04:33:21

I think that is why THE SURVIVOR series has been so popular. It is an allegory of the dynamics at play in most companies and work places.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    UNCOMMON
    ​THOUGHTS

    ...about common things. 
    ​

    Categories

    All
    Accidental Story
    Activist
    A Display Of His Splendour
    Adjusting The Recipe
    Ad Man
    A Flannery O'Connor Moment
    After The Tiger
    A High Christology
    A Little Bit Redneck
    All About Widgets
    Allah Wallahi
    All I Got
    Al Low Vs The Man
    All Roads
    All Saints
    Almost
    A Long List Of Thank Yous
    Amazing Grace
    A Month Of Sundays
    And A Little Child Shall Lead Them
    And Make It Beautiful
    An Offer You Can’t Refuse
    An Officer And A Gentleman
    Antique
    A Pile Of Wood And A Plan
    Are We There Yet?
    Artifact
    As Simple As Sunshine
    A Tale Of Two Crosses
    At Hand
    Attending To Beauty
    At War
    Baby Boom
    Bad-Ass Outlaw
    Bad Faith
    Badlands
    Bad Math
    Baked Boiled Or Fried?
    Balcony Lady
    Barcode
    Beautiful By Design
    Beauty For Ashes
    Beauty On Purpose
    Being Different
    Being Human
    Belial
    Beneficence
    Best For Last
    Better Mousetrap
    Betty Toop
    Beware Of God
    Beware Of Men Who Cry
    Big Buts Of The Bible
    Bit Part
    Blessed Are The Pew Warmers
    Bound For Beauty
    Brazier
    British Invasion
    Bronte Oak
    Bucket List
    But If Not
    But Is It Sandable
    But Is It True?
    Buyer Beware
    Call To Prayer
    Camp Of The Unknown God
    Cant
    Carlton The Delivery Man
    Car Wash
    Chaos
    Cherry Picking
    Cherry Top
    Civil Disobedience
    Class Monitors And Safety Patrols
    Click Bait
    Clothing Optional
    Cloud Of Witnesses
    Colour Blind
    Coming To My Senses
    Contra Mundum
    Couldn't Not
    Counting The Cost
    Covid Cut
    Crazy
    Creed
    Crooked Made Straight
    Crucified Man
    Curated
    Curse Of Adam
    Damascus Road
    Dangerous
    Dangerous Chemicals Of My Youth
    Data Overload
    Day Of The Dead
    Deliver Us From Evil
    Deposit Of Faith
    Dieu Et Mon Droit
    Different Drum
    Distressed
    Dog House
    Doing Church
    Doing The Lord's Work
    Doing The Math
    Do It Yourself
    Dominion
    Dominus Vobiscum
    Do-Over
    Do Something!
    Dreaming And Doing
    Edifice
    Egging Armour Hill
    English Leather
    Ensign
    Even As I Am Known
    Even Me
    Even Stranger Things
    Exiles
    Experience Wanted
    Faithful Servant
    Fallow Season
    Family Bible
    Family Business
    Feeling It
    Fellowship Of The Brush
    Field Of Faith
    First World Chair
    Fit As You Go
    Five Minutes
    Fixing The Machine
    Flawed People
    Flock Of Angels
    Follow The Money
    For A Season
    For A Time Such As This
    Fortissimo!
    Forward
    French Horn
    From A Distance
    Frozen Man
    Funny Words
    Gateway
    Genetic Lottery
    Gifting
    God Calling...
    God Save The Queen
    Going In!
    Gone But Not Forgotten
    Gone Fishing
    Good Bones
    Good God Almighty
    Good Government
    Good Luck Skippy
    Gott Mit Uns
    Greatest Is Love
    Great Reset
    Grocery - A Short Story
    Gross Anatomy
    Grunt
    Haka!
    Hammer And Tong
    Hammer Time
    Hands And Eyes
    Hands On
    Happy Rooster
    Hardwired
    Hearing Voices
    Heavy LIfting
    Hello My Juan
    Helping God Show Off
    Hidden In The Secret Place
    Hid In My Heart
    High Dudgeon
    History Bites
    Hockey Tape And Rubber Bands
    Hodge Podge
    Holy Disorder
    Holy Father
    Home Economics
    Hymn Stories
    I AM
    I Cannot Help You
    I Could Be Wrong
    I Dare You
    Idiots
    If You Build It
    If You Get There Before I Do
    If You Go I'll Go
    Im Khalil
    Impossibly Cute
    In A Strange Land
    Incarnation
    In Code
    Incomplete
    Individual
    Influencer
    In My Own Time
    Inner FIfteen Year Old
    In Praise Of Culture
    In Praise Of The Middle
    In The Details
    In The Spirit
    In The Usual Manner
    Invader
    It's All A Stage
    I Will Remember
    Jackass
    Je Me Souviens
    John Henry
    Judge Not
    Jurisprudence
    Just A Few Words
    Just Have Faith
    Justice
    Just In Our Own Time
    Just Like God
    Keep Calm And...
    Keeper
    Keeping House
    Keeping On Keeping On
    KJV
    Knock Yourself Out
    Kumbaya
    Kybo
    Lamentations
    Lawn Nazi
    Lemonade
    Less Is More
    Lessons In Empathy
    Let Me Count The Ways
    Let's Go RIde A BIke
    Licking The Spoon
    Like A Flint
    Linked In
    Little Boxes
    Liturgy
    Lo And Behold
    Logos
    LOL
    Looking Back On The Forward Looking
    Looking For Some Real Good News
    Lord Jesus It’s A FIRE
    Lorem Ipsum Dolor
    Lost And Found
    Lost In Translation
    Luck Of The Stable
    Made To Dance
    Madonna
    Magical
    Make A Baby Laugh
    Make It Nice
    Maker
    Maker’s Mark
    Manifest
    Manwich
    Ma-pitom
    Marbles In Spring
    Measure Of A Man
    Meat Power
    Memory Box
    Men In Loincloths
    Men's Barber Shop
    Messiah
    Middle Ground
    Middleman
    Mistakes All In
    Montreal Spice
    More
    Morse Code
    Mosh Pit
    Moving Parts
    Mr. Good Enough
    Mr. Resolve
    My Neighbour
    Mystery Of The Cheshire Cat
    Myth Of Sisyphus
    My Wife The Movie Star
    Name Calling
    Natural
    Needed Time
    Neighbour
    New Day
    New Wine
    Next To Godliness
    Next Year Country
    No Fancy Diagram Needed
    No King But Caesar
    None Deserving
    North Of Ground Level
    Nothing Particularly Important
    Nothing Personal
    Not Waiting For Godot
    No Wonder
    Oak
    Obsessive
    Offended
    Oh Jerusalem
    Old Growth
    Old White Men
    On Adult Admission
    One Coffee At A Time
    One Smart Farmer
    One Thing
    On Richard Rohr
    On The Lam
    On Writing Clearly
    Ordinary Time
    Orwell For Our Times
    Out Of Egypt
    Over And Again
    Paint Over That
    Paper Boy
    Particularity
    Particularity Of Place
    Particulate Matter
    Part Of The Tradition
    Pater Noster
    Patina
    Pea Game
    Pelagian
    Perfect
    Perfect Crime
    Perfect Ride
    Philosemite
    Pilate's Dilemma
    Pinky Swear
    Place At The Table
    Playing Favourites
    Pop-a-corn!
    Potato War
    Preaching Parrot
    Predators
    Prepper
    Prince
    Print Shop
    Prisoner
    Promises Promises
    Proof Text
    Psalm 1
    Psalm 19
    Psalter
    Put Away The Books
    Putting Up The Lights
    Rainbow
    Recognition
    Red Haired Step Child
    Reduce Reuse Recycle
    Resin
    Restoration
    Resurrection
    Retro
    Rosemary And The Drug Dealers
    Sad Face
    Sandwich
    Say My Name
    Scars
    Scrooge's Bedsheets
    Second Naiveté
    Seeing Red
    Seven Sixty-Five
    Shouting From The Areopagus
    Shrove Tuesday
    Silent Witness
    Slippery Slope
    Small-c
    Small Graces
    Sock Monkeys
    Someone To Watch Over Me
    Song For The Lowly
    Sore Afraid
    Special Language Store
    Squat
    Squeeze Gently
    Starting With What Is True
    Status Quo
    Still True
    Street Food
    String Too Short To Be Saved
    Strongman
    Sufficient To The Day
    Superstar
    Take A Punch
    Takedown
    Talking Head
    Talking Your Parents Down From The Ledge
    Telling The Story
    Thanksgiving
    The Bliss Of Ignorance
    The Church Invisible
    The Crossing King
    The Evil Day
    The General
    The Great Mystery
    The Harrowing Of Hell
    The Joys Of Hash
    The Man Who Was Always Right
    The Other Place
    The Place Beyond Knowing
    The Quickening
    The REAL Jesus
    The Reason For The Season
    Therefore Choose Life
    The Rules
    The Secret History
    The Stand That Wouldn't Stand
    The Table-ness Of A Table
    The Way
    This Is My Body
    This Is The PLACE
    Though One Be Raised From The Dead
    Thoughts On Sixty
    Three Jews And A Gentile
    Thrice Wise
    Throwing The Spaghetti Against The Wall
    Timeless
    Time Vs Time
    Time Warp
    Tim Falladay
    Tims No More
    Tin Hat
    Tonto And Me
    Touching Stones
    Trevor’s Super Bad Day
    Trick Key
    Tubafore!
    Unbelievable
    Under A Bush? HELL NO!
    Uninvited
    Unlikely Saint
    Unmedicated
    Unspectacular
    Use Gently
    U-Turn
    Value Added
    Veni Vidi
    Virge 'n Mary
    WASP
    Watching Paint Dry
    Wayside Chapel
    Weaker Sex (?)
    We Stand On Guard For Thee
    We Were Waiting
    What Are You Prepared To DO?
    What Doesn't Kill You
    What Lazarus Knew
    Wheat Gum
    When Cows Fly
    When Odd Becomes Interesting
    Where Art Comes From
    While You Were Sleeping
    Why I Still Like Cowboys
    Witness
    Woke
    Wood Show
    Words
    Words... The Right Tool
    Worthy Adversary
    Worthy Is The Lamb
    You And Me And Rob

    RSS Feed

Contact Us

    Subscribe Today!

Submit
Picture
  • Home
  • Hello and Welcome
  • Blog
  • Worth Repeating
  • My Book
  • FAQ