Luddites

Quote: Luddite – “Any opponent of industrial change or innovation.” Collins Compact Dictionary page: 505

The Aquarian moon sprinkles a humanitarian feel to this Saturn-Day. It’s an 11/2 day – a day filled with the potential for a public/private profile. Ironic really as the grand plan for the day is to spend it snuggled under the duvet – I guess I have to rethink that and consider emerging from this warm bed eventually.

Yesterday was a frantic mixture of getting organised before sunrise, packing the car, arriving at work extremely early and starting my day before my colleagues and co-workers arrived. I enjoyed the peace and quiet and the opportunity to be organised for the short work day.

From this highly organised stand point the enthusiasm melted with the onset of my first meeting. The plan to set the tone of the day was to write an agenda on the board. This attempt of being prepared was met with disdain. How dare I write on the board? Why is that I had my crayons out first? And I have to say the day went down hill from there – should of stayed with the crayons!

As the morning progressed I kept fantasising about the archetypes my co-workers were representative of – what was the personification for negative past dwellers who maintain the rhetoric of a quarter of a century? It was like being in the room with a legion of Luddites trapped in a silage pit of, “I remember when?”

How does one cope with such a convoy of resistance – refusing to move ahead toward the potential of a strategic vision? Isn’t that what, ‘strategic’ means? Or does it mean, I don’t feel comfortable moving out of my zone of past experiences and I cannot therefore get on board with a concept that is innovative or inspirational? Or does it mean – that suggestion isn’t mine so it is worthy of consideration or discussion? I’m not sure but whatever it means, I don’t like it – actually I refute their lumbering labouring attitudes coated in the disrespect of refusal to acknowledge another person’s contribution or existence. What boils my blood even more is the blatant disrespect and rejection of my existence which is based purely on their assumption that I am not a credible person.

How long does it take to become credible in this environment? Is it 20 or 25 years? Or is it has a century perhaps? I’m uncertain of the benchmark and most days battling the negativity and bullying becomes too painful for my esteem which is dented beyond recognition – no wonder I loose my balance. On those days, I seem to loose sight of whom I am and why I was hired in the first place. ‘They’ espouse that, “we don’t know why you were hired in the first place”. And I must admit I too am confused. In retrospect, I was hired for a purpose – like it or not the luddites have to tolerate me – because I am not leaving the game until I choose to go!

Peace and Love,

Julia Ashton-Sayers