How It Began

“You’re not delusional: He is absolutely convinced that you are out to get him. Everything you do or say he is interpreting as a personal attack. I can’t shake him from it.”

“Last night,” I explained, “it impacted the mission.”

And it did. And I did.

Earlier in that day, when this crazed bully leveled his latest accusations at me, I replied, “Stop typing now. Next conversation is with management.”

I went off in my direction: “Hey, do you have some time for me? I need a confessor, a counselor, an unbiased opinion outside the chain. I need to know my part in all of this; how much of this is my own fault? What is best for the Team?” “Thank you, Sir. I feel better.”

And he went off in his direction, I heard, calling the chain, interrupting a day off with family to rant about my affront.

And our confessors did meet, and mine did delicately state, “Hey, I chatted with moj today…” and his did interrupt, “Wait – let me try to finish the story.” And they laughed at the accuracy, and then they sighed.

But that’s not the story.

I’ve been telling the other one for days. It’s been going on for months. I haven’t noticed for years.

Years? Yeah… Someone close to me. Someone who wants to be the center of attention, deserves an imagined outcome, and is mortally offended if it goes another direction. Someone who lashes out at all of the offenses when emotions run high, striking the nearest target. Someone so full of imagined facts and absolute certainty of intention. Someone whom, by virtue of circumstance, I cannot help, expose, correct, or punish. Simple karma.

And in front of me? There it is, that same boogeyman – a rock, a hard place, and a wounded tyrant – just in a different form. Complex karma.

I wonder what aspect of himself he is fighting…

… or if it really matters.

In the end, when the time comes, trust we will all know what to do.