There are some very interesting discussions going on at Lista's about karma and I will be expanding on some of the points like, oh I don't know tomorrow or beginning of next week but the topic of selfishness is too broad here. Are most people selfish? Since we spend so much time at work I'll put it in my usual context of the workplace (after 1,000 posts it's still a tick on my ass). Dunno if my place is a microcosm, God I hope not! but I've come to the conclusion that most folks are selfish. Now they're not viciously selfish, they come across as quite nice. They don't have fangs and will buy you a cup of coffee but when push comes to shove their interests come first. Take vacation time. We have a problem going on right now where everybody wants to take their vacations at the same time and we're not talking a week off here and there but like a month devoted to European travel alone. Now back in the day I still remember a system, a kind of unwritten code that you took turns, you went and then he went and then she went when Bob got back and if you had to sacrifice for the good of the Company by pushing up your much-looked-forward-to vacation by a week or two well that just showed what kind of a sterling guy or gal you were. Now it's like this isn't even an afterthought and I've spotted another trendoid and it has to do with new hires. Now many of these monstrous jaunts, random globetrekking are being taken by the fairly new employee, the recently hired and it's not that they're getting paid for all this free time but that's not the point. It's still leisure time and the department runs less effectively due to their prolonged absences, the burden then being shifted onto the few who remain like moi. I asked a co-worker about this, new workers pushing for and getting massive time off when they haven't even put in a year yet. I queried him well is it a part of some contract, some kind of secret handshake, an overly generous boss, some spit the love juice out from under the table kind of a deal but he said no, that they just have their minds set on going is all, doesn't matter if they started a new job. Of course back in the day when you were lucky enough to get hired for a spanking new job you would happily wait and chug along until you qualified for at least one full week of paid vacation time and then it would properly accrue over time but this selfishness thing is cutting across all age and ethnic groups, spilling over all kinds of boundaries and it's not just the young, an easy enough group to pick on although I don't like working with them either. Calling Out Sick, that's another one. Now I don't do it anymore but the few times I did in the past I at least chose a day when it would have the least impact, made sure there were enough people on staff. Not anymore, I've seen people simply call out sick even if the whole day depended on their presence and not a twinge of guilt upon their return. The selfishness thing is kind of disturbing, the blitheness with which it's practiced and goes straight to our character deficit in this country. Since this ultimately ties into the whole karma thing I'll be working on that one next. As I said to my friend once I think we were born in the wrong era:)
So was it selfish when some your co-workers neglected to come in for their shift during a snowstorm?
ReplyDeleteYou've certainly had no shortage of blog posts Z regarding the workplace and the notion that there's got to be more to life than simply slaving for the man.
So which one is it? Self interest or the interest of the collective (in this respect the workplace as a whole)?
Karma's serious business, man.
ReplyDeleteThis weekend we're celebrating one of the two biggest holidays of our year, Janmastami (http://www.krishna.com/how-celebrate-janmashtami). The actual day is Monday but we're doing it on Sunday. The temple celebration is too huge and sends me into a meltdown so for the first time we're having a private thing at home and he's going to be involved (!!)
I'm totally psyched, there's so much decorating going on and I'm making outfits for the Deities out of flowers, and cooking a big feast with like 16 different dishes (at our temple they will do at least 108 different preps and at big big temples, 1008 different preps!) and it's going to be soo much fun.
And on Sunday he's taking me to the Hindu temple in Cary (huge and very wealthy Indian population there) for the first time and it's gorgeous, looks like it's been dropped out of South India. (http://svtemple-nc.com) Anyway this is the first year he's been actively involved and it's really, really sweet.
So Hari Haribol! and Happy Janmastami!!
I'm on to your wavelength soap because yesterday when I posted I knew you were gonna bring up the snowstorm. That was a rational decision that took all factors into account. Selfish decisions do not do that. Most customers, in fact the vast majority came in prior to the storm as they always do. Two, we're not saving lives. A nurse for example calling in sick too many times should be frowned upon but most of all with a foot and a half of the white stuff already on the ground my block wasn't plowed 'til late afternoon or early evening at the earliest. All in all a very rational and thorough decision on my part but that was an extreme situation and if I may add I didn't lie on the phone but was perfectly honest about the situation.
ReplyDeleteAs for your last point you're more of an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy than me but seems to me a philosophy that extols self-interest and the virtue of selfishness contradicts itself as how can you run a workplace or any company for that matter on such a principle? Imagine everyone doing their own thing! Dunno the Randian answer to this but seems to me her whole school of thought ultimately implodes on itself since in Business you obviously have to have a meeting of the minds and some discipline. Happily explain.
ReplyDeletePart of our culture's problems I think stem from the entitlement mentality (thanks to progressives) where everyone thinks they are entitled to live their lives a certain way without caring how it affects anyone else, or if it burdens someone else.
ReplyDeleteThink about it. Within a workplace environment everyone is to some degree doing their own thing. You've got some prep cooks chopping tomatoes, you've got the sous chef making sauces and soups.
ReplyDeleteThey all work independently within the confines and structure of their environment.
If you get lost in the woods, you'll need to work (rationally mind you) within the confines of your environment and situation for the sake of your survival. If you're not committed to building shelter and finding water but instead on skipping rocks, you will not make it very far. The same premise applies within the workplace.
It's really all about human action and interaction.
ReplyDeleteYou should read some Mises, Hayek, Rothbard, et al.
You'll understand real quick.
Of what I know about Rand I would explain it this way. Everyone is self-centered or should be but in business everyone's self-interest would coincide because everyone's self-interest is in making money and in order to do that you have to make the company work but this is idealism. Let's say everyone's self-interest is different how is that company supposed to function?
ReplyDeleteIf one's self-interest, to do whatever it is they specifically wanted to do, supersedes the voluntary agreement and subsequent task(s) they'd perform in a workplace environment, they'd not take the job or they'd get fired for not adequately performing said job.
ReplyDeleteIt's simple human action. Let's not complicate it.
Rand's philosophy of total selfishness obviously has some built-in problems.
ReplyDeleteIn the workplace, it is in your best interest to do a good job, do what is expected of you, or else you are out of a job. So, while it may seem like you are not being selfish in being a hard worker, you are doing it for your own good, right?
ReplyDeleteThe whole 'team' mentality has been replaced by people who are just there for themselves. They could care less about you, about the company, about the team. It's all about them.
ReplyDeleteBecause a team implies that more people than just themselves have value, and we can't have anyone besides oneself being of value. That's not the American way. In America, the INDIVIDUAL comes first and the hell with the team.
The older guy I work with who's been in Europe these past four weeks, it's getting close to his return and his wife calls the other day saying he can't work this Sunday so I have to come in late when I normally get a day shift on Sunday to cover for him and New York is gonna get not the full brunt of Hurricane Irene but some nasty stuff on, you guessed it Sunday afternoon. Thanx guy!
ReplyDelete