Things
have a way of coming around to to bite you in the butt sometimes.
I
remember this one guy from work that had a serious inferiority complex with respect to another co-worker. Both came from the same town, same university, both even looked
the same - short and stout, similar family background, drawing similar paycheck
each month, working on same technology. The only difference one was a really cheery
happy-go-lucky guy and everyone's fav guy. The other was sullen and silent, that guy in every
group picture who's too shy/pompous to smile for the camera. You can never make up your mind whether you like him or not.
The
sullen guy, we'll call Mopey, puts in extra hours at work does all the tasks on
time, even earlier than most. Rarely gets up from his seat even
for tea breaks, when he does he always goes alone.
The smiley guy, we'll
call Cheery, rarely stayed overtime, went for tea breaks and lunch like clockwork
with a big group of colleagues, and still gets his work done by the end of
the day.
The only difference here was when people here knew who Cheery was;
they just tend to think Mopey was part the office furniture.
Mopey
didn't like it one bit. He tries, by God does he try. But I guess its just the way some people are and there is just no changing what’s in their nature no
matter how much they themselves want to. He tries to speak with co-workers,
opening up to people about him selves, trying to listen what they did over the
weekend or when they crib about how the client is over-working them or how
their wives are being a big nag-machine of late.
But
he soon gets tired of all the talk. His mind drifts off to someplace else, and starts
taking glances at his mobile screen checking out the time and everyone knows he
is not listening to single word what they are saying.
That's
where Cheery really trumps, he listens. He knows everyone's story. He knows
whose relationship sucks, he knows who is dating who at work, and he even knows
if someone likes books or shoes better as a birthday gift.
As a
little getting back for being so awesome, Mopey pulled a nasty trick on Cheery
last week. He overheard someone speaking to Cheery in the cafeteria, sitting on
the next table to him while he was on his lonesome as usual. He came to know of
some little secret about this someone, who was only comfortable sharing it with
Cheery here. Mopey spread the little tidbit around office. He was real sly
about it as well, proud of his own genius.
Well
it worked it seemed. This someone and Cheery had big falling out, everyone
started to wonder if Cheery could really keep a secret. Cheery started to lose
his shine.
Mopey
forgot one little detail. He doesn't talk to people much. When he does, the
other guy remembers the conversation pretty well. And everyone was much better
friends with Cheery than to him. The story un-puzzled itself before the
work-week as up. Everyone now knew how Mopey was the real culprit. And now
everyone is farther away from Mopey, and closer with Cheery as ever. All was
right again in the universe.
Lesson
to be learnt - before entering a game you don't know the rules to, ensure that
at least you have you butt covered in case of a backfire.
Today,
was conspiratorially enlightening.
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