Finding new ways to offend people
Who knew that a little pair of earbuds could be so offensive?
My supervisor called me into his office today. Apparently there have been some people who have complained that I listen to an iPod at work. I listen to a variety of podcasts and audiobooks primarily, but I do sometimes listen to regular music if i just don’t feel like focusing my mind to understand the points being made by the talk shows and books.
Well, according to some, there’s no possible way that I can work while having earbuds in my ears. They would have others believe that there is a direct connection between a lack of ability to accomplish meaningful work and the insertion of mini speakers encased in plastic into the ear canal. I say nonsense and hogwash! Yes, hogwash!
I will say that my boss had no real issue with it. He was just reporting what others came to him with. I explained to him that I need an audio stimulant in order to focus on what I’m doing. There’s always music or a beat or something going through my head. It’s how I function. Many artists or musicians are the same way. There’s an internal soundtrack to life perpetually occurring when no actual audio wave is stimulating the brain. Though he understood where I was coming from and even agreed with me, he asked me to kindly not use the earbuds anymore as it seems to be bothering and/or offending others. Very well. I can do that. I asked him if I could continue to listen to my content via open-air speakers, and he said that would be fine if I kept it at a reasonable volume. I have to say that I did feel a bit like Milton from Office Space during the process, but what are ya going to do?
I just think it’s funny that someone (an anonymous someone) find’s my life and actions so intriguing and important that they feel the need to regulate them because they can’t understand why I do things or how my mind works. I could be offended myself at this turn of events, but I’m not. If anything being in a position of leadership has taught me, it’s that people are going to get angry at you and find things you do offensive, sometimes with valid reason, often without. I couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. Even when I got back to my desk, my co-worker asked me, “What are you smiling about?” I just said, “Nothing,” and went about my business. You can’t let people’s conceptions, or misconceptions, about you affect your attitude or how you view yourself and the world. My life is too complex and busy to care what someone who obviously doesn’t really know me, nor thinks it important to take the time to get to know me, thinks about what I do. There are more important things to occupy my mind with.
On this day…
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amazingly enough I’ve had the same thoughts when I see pics of you with those “silly” earbuds in your ear. I often wonder how you can take a picture with music in your ears. How do you function?