Tall Tale

Tall Tale is a guy who doesn't seem to have trouble finding work. Remaining employed is another story. He works as a common labourer, finding jobs with independent contractors. He's very persuasive, and intelligent, and it wouldn't surprise me if he simply talks people into hiring him. Two weeks later, though, he's out of work again. Here's the thing - every single one of his jobs end when his boss refuses to pay him.

It's getting a little hard to believe that every employer he's ever had refuses to cut him a cheque at the end of his first pay period. There must be a reason why this is the pattern of his life but I can't figure out what the reward is for his behaviour. We all have blind spots - aspects of our behaviour that we hide from our self. But this guy has been living in a homeless shelter or his truck, in an entirely predictable cyclical pattern, for the last four years. You would think he might have had an epiphany somewhere along the way. All his psychic energies, however, are directed towards telling other people what's wrong with their lives.

Without humility, wisdom escapes us.

Comments

[Mich]

The human mind is pretty amazing in the way that it can hide things from its owner. I think, with practice, holes in the memory bank begin to appear. It seems to be the price of maintaining an unhealthy system. At least, that's what I'm discovering about myself.

[[rhymes with kerouac]]

Mich - I think you're right. We sometimes go to great lengths to hide the truth from ourselves. It's only the truth we know that sets us free.

[Mari]

Could be that he's more of a talker than a worker, I've encountered guys like that who talk a good game but are just that, talk. It would be great to get another opinion like that of someone who was working the same job to see if there is injustice or if the guy is just full of it.

[[rhymes with kerouac]]

Mari - One of his employers recently came to the Mission looking for him and he didn't have anything complimentary to say about Tall Tale's work ethic. I've heard the "he won't pay me" story about a dozen times in the last two years. It happens, yes, but it doesn't happen that much. Tall Tale seems genuinely incapable of maintaining a job for anything more than a week (some kind of learning / cognitive disability or imapairment perhaps?) He's the kind of guy you see and think, 'hey, there's no reason this guy can't work' but...

[dana]

so true! I hear the same comments from the people i work with too......taking ownership is a frightening option for many, including ourselves.

humility helps focus our senses and our heart to "see" how our own actions are responsible for the consequences. i relearned this lesson recently, though thought i had understood it. recognizing a new blind spot and putting it under the mircroscope is such a sobering experience. but in the long run, can lead to a much deeper understanding of ourselves and of others.

I love that last line.........