Juggernaut

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Question: I’m feeling totally steamrollered at work and don’t see any way out.

Answer:
It’s a question of being on the bus or off the bus, as Ken Kesey might have said. Corporations are a bit like a juggernaut, meaning an unstoppable force. A juggernaut is actually a wheeled chariot that rolls on, uncontrollably, crushing everyone in its path. So, much better to be “on the bus” in this case.

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Too Much Kool-Aid

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Question: Everyone at my workplace has a glazed look in their eye and they repeat industry slogans with a fervor that’s truly frightening. I mean, I believe in our mission, too, but I feel like I’ve joined a cult.

Answer:
That’s because you have. Modern companies expect you to be a total fan-boy of whatever it is they’re selling. Even beyond that, they want you to feel that their mission is the most compelling thing on the planet. They seek to foster a sense of loyalty so intense that you’d literally rather die than leave on your own. This loyalty, however, is often one-sided. That’s what “at-will employment” means.

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Buddha of Rage

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Question: Yesterday in yoga, the instructor told us to dedicate our practice “for the benefit of all beings” but there are a lot of beings out there, and I’m just not feelin’ it.

Answer:
Yoga teachers earnestly put forth that we’re working to benefit all beings, everywhere, but no one asks about what happens when those beings are actively working against us. Why, exactly, are we sweating and breathing for the benefit of flaming assholes?

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Building a Better Tomorrow

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Question: Why are corporate recruiters always talking about building a better tomorrow and how we can all be agents of change if we would only join up with their team? I’d be happy just to keep my health insurance and get through today.

Answer:
Corporate-level cheerleading – and charity – has nothing to do with what is actually happening on the ground. It’s as much for PR purposes as it is for actual improvement of human life, which is why a lot of it happens far away. Building a better today would require accountability and meaningful actions with immediate results.

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