Tuesday, May 11, 2021

RAGE

 I had some kind and thoughtful messages of sympathy in response to my post yesterday, and am truly grateful--especially for those who have become more vigilant as a result of my saga.

A saga it has turned out to be. It is now more than a week since this sorry event started, and the repercussions seem unending--reports and claims to file, notifications, standing banking and credit card orders to be changed, redoubled efforts to protect identity. I spend entire days on the computer and the telephone, negotiating paths through multiple menu options in the effort to reach an actual person to whom I can explain the situation and ask for the action or the help I need.

What comes home is the realization--as though it were a new one!--that we are all now hooked into an invisible, impenetrable network of communications that no longer serves our human needs and interests but instead cannibalizes everything that's human about being human. It's a sobering experience, to have to face it so immediately and with such a deep sense of frustration and, yes, anger. It erupts constantly, a compulsion to throw the bloody telephone at the wall or toss the computer out the window.

So I get to watch my rage. I am thankful for the 25-odd years of meditation practice that allow me to moderate the impact of all this and give me, at least, small moments of clarity.

3 comments:

Marie Smith said...

I understand that impulse to throw the photo. That answering system is part of just about every business these days.When a human answers a call now, I am so surprised I am speechless. Lol.

Barbara from Boston said...

Yes Peter I have experienced utter frustration in trying to reach a human being. In moving across country and having to set up internet etc. I have spent hours on hold😱. Verizon and the big banks are the worst.You have the added pressure of being scammed. So sorry 😢 . My brother has a small heating and air conditioning company and my sister
Is his administrative assistant and spends most of her day on the phone with customers who are so grateful to have a real person to communicate with...

Peter Clothier said...

Thanks, both. Here's rooting for humanity--with a dose of healthy skepticism!