Cost to Society

5^th November 2011

Dear Cassi,

I told you the other day that I learned the man responsible for my termination and eight months of joblessness had himself lost his job. Truly, this event is one that I have mixed feelings over.

       

From what I understand they cleaned house in the office and most of the folks were terminated. This was no layoff; the company had concluded that issues within the office had become so much of a problem that it was time to terminate the management staff. 

       

I had no idea this happen until when looking for another job I was told that one of my references had fail to remember who I was. I called him up and learned that they had failed to give him my last name and so he had no idea who they were asking about.

       

Then he said that he had run into my old manager at a super market. The man was buying cheap alcohol but had misjudged the price and hadn’t the money for a twelve dollar bottle. My old friend paid for the manager’s drink because he felt that sorry for the old antagonist.

       

I feel some satisfaction that what my ex manager had done to me he had done to himself, but what he was now doing to himself, killing himself with cheap booze, is another story.

       

If I believe the philosophies of Sigmund Freud humans who do these things are sick but not evil. Was my manager evil? He broke the law for one. He thought he could bully me into giving him what he wanted. Then when I called human resources they refused to take a report. They knew what they were doing was wrong, and they did it anyway.

       

I can feel sorry for this man. He may have thought at first that what he was doing was good for business. Then when it became clear that I wouldn’t put up with his bull he cost his company hundreds if not thousands of dollars. He grabbed the gun, pointed it at his foot, said watch this, and pulled the trigger expecting it not to hurt. If not for the cost to society I would laugh.

Stay safe, Cassi,

Richard Leland Neal