A quote: “There’s always going to be the circumstances you can’t plan for. There’s always the unexpected relevance and the serendipity.” ~~ Jason Silva
I’ll start with a story …
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You could set your watch by Walter. Any member of the clerical pool knew they were going to be late if they spotted his car in the parking lot
He was a senior member of the law firm but not a pretentious bone in his body. He treated junior lawyers and clerical staff as … well… as actual human beings. He made sure the breakroom was well-stocked with coffee and brought in donuts every Friday. His door was open to anyone, right down to the summer interns.
Walter certainly had quirks. Besides his relentless punctuality, his office was always pin neat. He might be up to his elbows in prepping for trial, but by 5pm everything was put away and a couple of freshly sharpened pencils perfectly parallel next to two pens and a clean, yellow legal pad.
He also had the good sense of humor to pretend to be upset when a junior partner or secretary would sneak in to mess with all the perfect alignment.
So when he left in a rush just before lunch it was noted by a few, and it hadn’t been a cause for concern until 1 pm came and went and Walter wasn’t back. 2pm, 3pm and people began to gather in twos and threes, worried.
Then the police officers showed up to the office …
And today no one wants to walk past his office and see the unfinished coffee and the pens and pencils scattered haphazardly across his desk.
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Now, it’s your turn.
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. featured image, modified, Adobe Stock standard license
Cameron says: Mr. Henderson’s office was as pristine as always. I was in his office over some perceived infraction. Apparently, going home after work was done was wrong. I was expected to work until I collapsed then wake up in the office.
“You young people have no work ethic,” he bellowed. I’d heard the lecture before and knew when to nod. He sipped his coffee and looked at me expectantly.
“Well? What do you have to say for yourself?”
Our phones chimed at the same time. Heedless of the consequences, I looked at the notification. His face went pale as he read the email. “What is the meaning of this?”
“Simple. I invested and began building things up during my time here after seeing what kind of boss you were. And now, I own this company and you are no longer needed.”
He stood up, quivering in rage. “I’ll see you in court-“
I looked at another email. “Well, my PI just dropped off some pictures to your wife and documents to the police. I think you’re going to be too busy.” I smiled at the security guards. “Escort him out please. Oh, but let him keep the coffee. It’s only fair.”
Darleen Click says: Schweeeeeet!!! I believe anyone who has had a bad boss dreams this.
It was an ordinary day, and I was at my desk, working up a prospectus for a new client. My first hint of anything unusual was a sudden increase in network lag.
Then Terry from the mailroom came running in, saying something about the ISS and a ship. My first response was to roll my eyes. Terry was into a lot of silly stuff, and he tended to get enthusiastic. And then everything stopped.
We were lucky, all things told. We were on the very edge of the EMP effect when the Norks tried to blow the Kitties’ trading ship out of the sky. So we lost some particularly delicate equipment, but most of our stuff came through just fine, once the power was back up.
However, what couldn’t be repaired was the initial goodwill of First Contact. Now the Kitties were suspicious of humanity, not really understanding just how different our various countries were. They adopted a harsher policy that actually triggered resistance where it probably never would’ve happened. The Watts Rebellion might’ve happened anyway, but I doubt Atlanta would’ve gone up like it did if it hadn’t been for that initial miscalculation.
I really wonder if things would’ve gone better if the Kitties had just come right out and told us that they were in a generations-long war with a xenocidal enemy, instead of first trying to ease us into the idea that humanity wasn’t alone in the universe. A lot of the people who caused the most trouble, at least here in the US, would’ve been the first to sign up to fight a well-defined enemy. And not just my colleagues, who hadn’t forgotten the family members who hadn’t gotten out of Europe in the middle of the last century.
But what’s done is done. Now all we can do is learn from our mistakes on both sides, and try to build a better bridge of understanding between our species as we fight together against those who believe that only hive intelligence should exist.
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