Squared

Perhaps there still remains an idealist side of me...

A usual office morning, he wast circling at the non-legal staff area to gather his thoughts in response to a client's query; starting from my desk, ending at my desk.

"Is ma'am there?"

"Not yet, sir."

He leaned closer at me and gave a naughty whisper:

"You know what, when we were on our way to the office from a meeting yesterday at Makati, we talked about you. I asked her why you were chosen and she told me everything, including what she thinks about you. Do you already knew why you were chosen?"

"Not exactly. Why?"

"Do you think I'll just tell it just like that? You have to do something for me in return. Hehe."

"Huh? Ah okay sir, keep it to yourself then!"

A week later, he was blabbing to me how sipsip I am to my boss: how I defend her from her primadonna actions, how I do everything from her and how I unreasonably love her. Apparently, that's how he's telling me I got promoted.

Redundant as it is, this corporate world is just too happy working within a little box.

I know that it's just not him, but the entire department is talking about my politicking.

When I am the last non-legal staff to leave the office at 8pm uncompensated, am I exercising a sheer martyrdom just to acquire a goody-two-shoes impression to my boss? When I tolerate her extra-legal/power-tripping tendencies, am I being blind to the devil in her? When she apparently in pain of her poverty for just having a million-dollar savings, am I being a hypocrite to sympathize her?

First, I am not a believer that a labor must be equalized with a monetary value. It is not always about exploiting a laborer. It is about a laborer learning more than earning.

Second, exercising power is better done explicitly especially against unprofessional people around the workplace who are by all means suffering insecurity from where you are.

Third, it is better to complain the world how poor you are and still have cash at the back of your hand than to brag about the things you brought piled up in your credit line.

So much for their well-kept morality.