I hurted my coworker’s feelings.
It’s difficult to modify the behavior of adults. Children aren’t too difficult; scolding, spanking and humiliation are used to teach children that brutality is often necessary to enforce expected conduct. Unfortunately as adults we can’t always rely on physically overwhelming transgressors. When adults fall short of our expectations (within legal limits) we have to rely on shame.
I picked up an interoffice phone call last week and a woman asked for my coworker. I told her she was out of the office. She asked where she was and I said I thought she had gone upstairs. She thanked me and hung up. When my coworker returned I told her about her call. She asked if it was her sister. I didn’t know. She left and returned after a bit with her 11 year old pubescent nephew. She pulled me aside privately and told me it wasn’t funny and I better stop playing around. I said I thought it was a lady because I work with adults. She fumed at me and said “God knows if you’re lying.”
And I suppose he does. I understand because I was raised in America. In other countries coworkers might say “You will reincarnate as a cockroach.” or “You will have fewer celestial virgins.” I’m not sure where Christianity shelves in the hierarchy of damnation.
Tis The Season







