rip, in the world i live in what seemed a certainty was my job. i'd get up, go to work, do the work and get paid. it was agreed at the start that i would participate in the companys success and accepted that his word meant something. there was never, ever, any discussion of layoff. buisness has been and remains solid. in the leanest of times all we had to do was put off a few large equipment buys because of a tenative buisness enviornment. it should be noted that the boss never let an economic slowdown slow down his lust for nice toys.. the company bought him a beautiful piper dakota and a hanger in the hamptons 4 years ago.
you'd think if the buisness was getting 'tight' he'd sell the dakota and the hanger (the company owns them).
it wasn't 'economics' that wrought me an axe, it was an egotistical buisness owner who decided the companys success was his alone to enjoy. now, the company is poised on the cusp of expansion into new venues of buisness and he decided he'd rather hold onto all the strawberries. when the new guy was trained up and the 'economy' went down the tubes he had an outstanding opportunity to cut his expenses and remove a ticking time bomb liability.. me. i'm 50, he's 60 and he wanted me out before he cashes in and retires in a few years.
he used the 'economy' as an excuse.
it's guys like that that make me smile at union organizers.
my gripe with your commentary rip is that it's glib, untinking and entirely condescending. take yer 'silver lining' and stuff it up yer ass.. see how many medical bills it'll pay for my kid. i'm sure the ien folks that just got tossed feel pretty much the same way.. losing a job that pays your bills, a job that keeps the creditors at bay, gives you some sense of self worth and identity just goes away one day.. what; we're supposed to be chamed and reassured by your 'comfort zone' dissertation?
there is no silver lining in having your life crushed. i have no wifes salary to fall back on, no home with a carpeted garage and 15 years of equity, no savings to tap, no great job prospects at my age beyond harder work and more of it for even longer than my life expectancy to try to get even close to the salary i EARNED my way up to last week.
it took years and years of hard work and dilligence to build that buisness, i ate plenty of crow, played second bananna like a pro, accepted my scraps and table leavings and carried on because i had every reason to expect that hard work and dillegence would be rewarded. and.. it's all gone in an instant because a greedy little man can't share success.
and whats left is just the price of it all.
Who is more foolish, the child afraid of the dark or the man afraid of the light? ~Maurice Freehill
I am a fool.. diffrence is, i know it and thats hard to live with.
